Torn
by DarthBubbles
Summary: Ahsoka Tano befriends another Padawan during the raging Clone Wars, but what will she do when her feelings for him grow? OC/Ahsoka NOW MY MOST POPULAR FIC! R&R!
1. Preparations

**Chapter 1**

**Preparations **

Carter Draik turned over and attacked his alarm clock. The loud, annoying beeping stopped, and he rolled out of bed. Yawning, he rubbed his emerald eyes and started for the refresher.

He knew today was an important day. His Master had set up a training duel with the apprentice of Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka Tano. He'd heard a lot of good things about her, and he knew that she would surely be a challenge.

Like most Padawans, Carter was found by the Jedi Order at a young age. He had never known his parents, and had no memory of his homeworld. Fourteen years later, Carter was the proud Padawan of Kento Marek, a legendary Jedi Guardian. He was nearly unparalleled in lightsaber skill by any Jedi his age, and had a massive command of the Force.

Turning on the refresher, Carter stripped out of his sleepwear and stepped inside. There, he let the warm water cascade over his body, releasing tension in all of his muscles. After his quick shower, he got out, water dripping from his short, pitch black hair. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror and pulled on his Jedi robes.

Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, Carter walked out of his quarters of the Jedi Temple and to the Padawan training room. Because of the early hour, few were in there, but there were still some that got in shape as early as he did. Because of this, he knew the early risers well.

There was Keenan, a fierce Zabrak about five years older than Carter with dark red skin and a brighter shade of red on the crown of horns adorning the top of his bald head. Dustin was a native Coruscanti with pale blond hair, and Shu'tub was a blue Rutian Twi'lek. Also, a frequent visitor was Frwahr, a Wookiee, but he kept to himself. In fact, Carter had heard only about three words from the Padawan.

Carter nodded to the others as he took his place in front of the heavy weights. He picked up the first one, laying down, and pushed his arms up. Within a few seconds, his tanned skin was glistening with sweat.

Keenan turned to him, putting down two dumbbells. "I heard you're fighting Tano."

"Yeah," Carter grunted.

"Wait," Shu'tub said. "Ahsoka Tano? The Togruta?"

Carter nodded, pushing up the weight once again. "Skywalker's apprentice. It'll be tough, I'm telling you."

"Blast! You're fighting the Padawan of the _Chosen One_?" Dustin asked in disbelief. "You'll get killed!"

"We'll be turning the blade intensity down," Carter explained. "It'll only give us mild electrical shocks."

"No, what I meant was, she'll beat you before you can even make your move. She's that good."

"You've fought her?" Keenan asked.

"No, I've seen her training with Master Skywalker, though," Dustin said.

The three jumped when they heard Frwahr speak. "[One thing: She hardly uses the Force in a duel,]" he roared.

Carter smiled at the Wookiee. So that was her weakness. He had to use that against her.

_______________________________________________________________

"Master, are you serious?" Ahsoka Tano asked, groaning.

"Afraid so, Snips," Anakin said with a smile.

"Why couldn't you tell me this before the day of the duel?"

"I figured that if you didn't fret about it during the battle, then you would be more focused."

"One fatal flaw in your plan, Master. You already told me before the duel even started."

"Well, that was before I had the thought that you are the type who wants to know what they're up against."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and stood. "Not exactly." She reached out her hand and summoned her lightsaber to her through the Force. The small hilt of the weapon flew into her hand. She started for the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Anakin asked.

"Somewhere where I can sort all this out and try to find a way to beat this guy."

"Ah, strategy. That's my Padawan."

Ahsoka smiled and shook her head, waiting impatiently for the door to open. When it did, she nearly leapt out, eager for some fresh Coruscanti air. She trotted down the halls of the Jedi Temple and out the doors to the busy streets of Coruscant.

Sighing to herself, she thought about what her master had said about Carter Draik. "'He's noted as one of the best lightsaber combatants in his age group!'" Ahsoka quoted Anakin aloud. "How am I supposed to beat the best?"

She noticed by the strange looks others were giving her that she was talking to herself. She rolled her eyes and fell back against a wall, rubbing her temples. _'Come on, Ahsoka, think!!'_ she thought to herself. _'Remember, he's just a human. He only has the Force. He has no predator instincts like a Togruta. You have both.' _The thought that she might gain an advantage gave her a brief moment of hope. But then she remembered that some of the greatest Masters of the Order were 'just humans,' including hers. Ahsoka groaned inwardly. _'Well, there goes that idea.'_

Her comlink beeped, and she reached for it. "Ahsoka?" Anakin's voice sounded through the speaker.

"I'm here, Master," she replied.

"Well, get over here. We're heading to the dueling chambers right now."

Ahsoka took a deep breath. "Yes, Master."


	2. Dueling

**Chapter 2**

**Dueling**

Ahsoka walked into the dueling chambers ahead of Anakin, eying the vast room, looking for niches that she could use to her advantage during the coming fight.

"General Skywalker, you're late," a voice shot through the chamber and echoed off the walls and high ceiling, making Ahsoka look towards the two figures standing across from her.

There was a tall, robed man with dark eyes and dark hair to match. Next to him was a much smaller boy, with black hair in the typical style of a human Padawan, and striking green eyes. His skin was tanned, and he was about five inches shorter than Ahsoka.

"Better late than never," Anakin replied with a laugh, walking toward the two. Ahsoka rushed to catch up with him.

"You must be Ahsoka," the older man said. "I'm Master Kento Marek."

"Padawan Ahsoka Tano," she said with a slight smile.

The boy spoke up. "Padawan Carter Draik," he said, holding out a hand to Ahsoka. He flashed a sparkling white grin as she shook it.

"And, to finish it up, I'm Anakin Skywalker," Anakin smiled.

"Pleased to finally meet you, Master Skywalker," Carter said, bowing.

Anakin chuckled. "You too. Your Master's said a lot of good things about you."

"Well, I've heard a lot of good things about your Padawan as well, sir." He glanced at Ahsoka, who smiled.

"We don't know for sure who's better until we start." Ahsoka activated her lightsaber, holding it in a reverse grip form of Shien.

"Ahsoka, form," Anakin said. She rolled her eyes and reluctantly switched to Djem So, without a reverse grip. The green reflected off the polished floor of the chamber.

The Masters stood back as Carter turned on his own lightsaber, the blue glow illuminating his face. Ahsoka immediately recognized his stance as the one of Ataru, an aggressive form meant for one on one combat.

"Your move," Ahsoka said, nodding to Carter's lightsaber.

"Bad idea," the black haired boy said. He quickly swung to her left side, and she moved to parry the blow, only to find herself flying through the air. Carter had utilized the Force to blow her back, and now he was using it to dash at her sprawled form on the ground at full speed. Their lightsabers met, hissing on impact. They were nearly inches apart, the glowing blades dangerously set between their faces. Carter flipped backward, and the locked 'sabers were freed. Ahsoka jumped to her feet and charged toward him.

Without realizing it, she had switched back to reverse Shien, and she utilized the quick wrist-flicking movement common to that fighting style to strike to his left side. Carter somersaulted out of the way and twirled his lightsaber closer to her. Ahsoka blew him back with a blast of the Force as he had done earlier. He utilized the move, backflipping and planting his feet against a wall. He then pushed off with the Force, and was coming back at her, lightsaber spinning.

Ahsoka leapt for him, and their lightsabers met. For a moment, they fought suspended in mid air, before both landing lightly on the ground. Carter jumped over her, then flipped back, confusing Ahsoka only for a moment before she parried his blows.

Ahsoka wracked her brain for memories of the time when Anakin had her study all the lightsaber forms. Ataru used aggressiveness and acrobatics to overcome their opponents. That meant she had to meet his level of ferocity and energy, plus add a little extra with Shien.

Using her newfound knowledge, Ahsoka leapt into the air. She became frustrated when she realized that she was not as graceful as Carter had been, but remembered that she didn't do this as often as he did, and that he would be awkward had his saber been reversed. They were both good at different things.

She did a little flip and attacked Carter, going on the offensive. They were evenly matched, both tiring, their movements sluggish. Ahsoka threw him to the ground at her feet with a Force push and rained down blow after heavy blow on him in a flurry of confusing movements. Somehow, he managed to block every one, but he could not stop a stab to the stomach.

She could hear the air leave his lungs in a _whoosh_ and saw as her lightsaber burned a hole in his tunic. Lightning-like energy coursed through his body, and Ahsoka realized that she had not turned down her blade intensity enough. She frantically threw the weapon away from her. Carter sucked in a deep breath.

"Oh Force!" Ahsoka said as the Masters rushed over. "I'm so sorry!" She had difficulty breathing. What had she done?

"Not…" Carter wheezed, "Your fault… Ahsoka." He coughed once, then resumed taking deep breaths.

Kento reached his Padawan before Anakin, and he tore off the upper half of Carter's tunic. On his chest, Ahsoka could see a burn mark that she had created. "Carter, are you conscious?"

"Yeah."

"This might be a bit painful then," Kento said, bending over his Padawan's body.

"And that wasn't?" Carter asked, smiling despite the hurt he was in. His smile quickly disappeared and he took a sharp, hissing breath as Kento began to heal him. Ahsoka bit her lip to hold back the flow of guilt.

"Ahsoka, what did you do?" Anakin asked.

"Master, I didn't realize-"

"Didn't realize what? That you nearly killed my friend's Padawan?"

"I thought the intensity-"

"You can't afford to just _think_. You need to _know._"

"Sir?" Carter asked, weakly standing. "It's not her fault. She didn't know. And she won fair and square. If I end up fighting someone like Dooku or Ventress, I need to know that pain is involved. So don't get mad at her, please."

Anakin nodded. "I guess you're right, kid. Sorry, Ahsoka."

"It's okay Master," Ahsoka replied.

"Carter, I'm going to go speak about yours and Ahsoka's performances. You two can speak with each other if you wish," Kento said.

He and Anakin stalked off, leaving Ahsoka and Carter alone together.


	3. Friends and Assignment

**Chapter 3**

**Friends and Assignments**

It was at that moment that Ahsoka suddenly became aware of a coppery taste in her mouth. Carter just looked at her as if he was expecting her to say something. Self-conscious, she swallowed the small amount of blood instead of spitting it out in front of him. Instantly Ahsoka's head spun.

"Are you okay?" Carter asked, taking a step toward her with a concerned look on his face. "You look like you're gonna be sick."

"I'm fine," Ahsoka insisted. She put a hand to her head to stop the dizzying. In that instance, she lost her balance. Before she had time to recover, she was in strong, tan arms.

"I… sorry," Carter said sheepishly, letting her stand for herself.

"It's okay," Ahsoka said. "Thanks." She felt her cheeks getting hotter at the embarrassment of falling because she swallowed blood.

Carter laughed softly. "I thought you said you were fine!"

Ahsoka smiled. "I was sure I would be."

Carter flashed another white grin, and Ahsoka's breath caught in her throat for a moment. His smile instantly disappeared. "What's wrong?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "Nothing." She quickly changed the subject. "I saw that you use Ataru. How effective is that form?"

"Apparently not very effective against you," he said.

Ahsoka laughed. "No, it was hard to beat you. Even then it was half luck."

"It's been said for millennia: There is no luck; there is only the Force," Carter reminded her.

"I didn't ask you about old sayings, though," Ahsoka pointed out. "I asked about Ataru."

Carter chuckled. "Right. It's known as either the Aggressive Form, or the Way of the Hawk-Bat. I'm not sure where they got that. I mean, I don't feel like a hawk-bat whenever I whip out my lightsaber or anything."

He paused a moment when Ahsoka laughed. "Sorry," she said. "Go on."

He smiled. "It's a fairly aggressive form, like its first nickname, that involves a lot of acrobatics. It relies on a Jedi's ability to jump, run, and flip with control over and help of the Force. You may have noticed that I did a lot of flipping around during our duel. That's what Ataru is all about. But there are a few weaknesses in the stance, which is why I'm currently studying Soresu as well. First of all, against multiple opponents, you may jump your way into the enemy's blade, while trying to avoid another attacker. And some, including Count Dooku according to Master Kenobi, strike at the feet, which forces Ataru users to make a jump over head and lose their spine while they're at it." Carter shuddered.

Ahsoka grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "Well, you're good at it. I couldn't have beaten you in my comfort zone, that's for sure."

Carter blushed, which for some reason surprised Ahsoka. "Thanks. Good job to you too."

"Good job for what, nearly killing you?"

Carter gave her a little half smile and shrugged. "Something like that."

Ahsoka smiled. "Sorry."

Carter gave her a full grin. "Ahsoka, I don't blame you. There is a purpose for everything. The pain helps me learn. It's fine, and I forgive you. Just let go of the guilt."

"_Let go_ of the guilt?!" Ahsoka nearly screamed. "How do you expect me to just_ let go_? It's not that easy!" She sighed, and buried her face in her hands. "I mean, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have burst out at you like that."

She peeked at him through her fingers in startled amazement as he smiled at her, and put a hand on each of her shoulders. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. Anger is the worst of the emotions. It could lead me to the dark side."

Carter shook his head, making his pitch-black braid wiggle back and forth. "No it doesn't. Anger- all emotions- just show that you care. It's how you act on your emotions that can lead to the dark side."

Ahsoka frowned. "That's not what the code says."

"The Jedi Code is just full of guidelines. If you follow it blindly, you will not be able to make decisions for yourself."

She looked into his emerald eyes, and saw past them wisdom that was beyond the capacity of a normal fourteen year old. "You're…" she was about to say, 'wrong,' but she realized the full meaning of what he had said. "Right," she finished, taken aback by her own words.

Carter flashed the half smile again, and she couldn't help but grin with him. "I know," he said with a short bark of laughter. "I wouldn't have lied to you or anything."

"You know," Ahsoka said, "I know that you wouldn't. You… It's like we've been friends forever."

He shrugged. "Well, forever's never gonna end. We might as well start now."

Ahsoka beamed. "You're saying you want to be friends?"

"Sure. You're fun to be with. Besides, I need to know you as someone other than 'the girl who burned a hole in my chest.' What's your comm channel?"

________________________________________________________________

**Six weeks later…**

Carter stood alone in his room, his hands touching the hilt of his lightsaber. Quickly, he activated the weapon with a flourish and moved to take the beginning stance of Soresu. He groaned aloud and fixed mistakes in the defensive form. He had used Ataru all his life, and not being on the offensive unnerved him. But he was determined to get Soresu down as well. He had heard the stories, that a true master of Soresu was invincible. But switching from two very different forms was not easy.

With a sigh of defeat, Carter tossed the lightsaber onto his bed and sat at his desk, returning to his studies of Darth Revan, the Prodigal Knight, who returned to the light side and destroyed the Star Forge.

His comlink beeped, and he turned to it. "Padawan Carter Draik," he answered.

"Carter," Master Kento's voice said through the comlink.

"Yes, Master?"

"The Council wants to speak with you and I. Come up to the Jedi Council Chambers in the top spire," Kento ordered.

"Yes, Master."

Carter frowned as he summoned his lightsaber with the Force and clipped it to his belt. What could the Council possibly want? He opened the door and stepped into the turbolift leading up to the Council Chamber. There was no sense in keeping them waiting.

Kento met him outside the chamber. However, he was surprised to see Master Skywalker and Ahsoka standing outside the door. Ahsoka grinned at him. He smiled back. "What's this about?" he asked them. "What are you two doing here?"

"Carter, my guess is that we've been assigned to the same mission."

"Really?" Carter asked, surprised.

Ahsoka shrugged. "Yeah. It happens all the time. And if the Master-Padawan teams work well together, they sometimes pair 'em back up for optimal success in future missions." She winked.

Carter smiled at her. Inside, his stomach churned. He'd never gone on a mission with anyone besides just his Master. It would just be plain weird to be fighting off the droids alongside his friend, and the Chosen One. One mistake would provide prime opportunity for embarrassment.

But embarrassment was an emotion he did not need. He tossed the thought aside with a slight shake of his head that went unseen. The doors to the Council Chambers opened in front of him, and he and Ahsoka each followed their respective Masters, standing tall like soldiers at attention.

"Masters Skywalker and Marek, Padawans Tano and Draik," Master Yoda addressed them. A most disturbing message from Master Luminara's ship, the Sedawan, we would like you to see." He nodded at Master Kenobi, who turned on the holoprojecter.

"We're completely overwhelmed, sir! They came out of nowhere!" The trooper looked around, raised his rifle, but was cut down by a blade that made an all too familiar snap-hiss.

"We have to help them!" Ahsoka cried.

"The Sedawan was carrying a stock of lightsabers from Illum." Obi Wan Kenobi said.

"In this war, far too dangerous it is for Padawans to travel to Illum. We decided to bring the crystals to Coruscant and have them build their lightsabers here," Yoda explained to Kento and Anakin.

Master Kento spoke. "The crystals are useless to anyone but a Jedi. What would anybody want with them?"

"You ask the wrong questions." Yoda replied. "Killed by lightsaber, the trooper was."

"Count Dooku!" Anakin said immediately.

"Perhaps. But for now, the matter is unclear."

"Yes," said Mace Windu, his hand on his chin. "That is why it is imperative we send an investigation team immediately."

"Us?" Carter asked.

Windu nodded. "Yes. I trust that your orders are clear?"

"Yes, Master," Carter replied for all of them. "Go in, investigate what happened to the troops and Master Luminara, check cargo, report back. We're good."

"Then you are dismissed," Yoda said. "May the Force be with you."

"And with you," the four non-council Jedi said. Then, they walked out the door to their starfighters, each in their own way mentally preparing themselves for the danger that imminently lay ahead.


	4. The Sedawan

**Well, Here you go: The first mission Ahsoka and Carter go on together. Will it be a success or failure? How about you read it, that might help you find out.

* * *

**

Chapter 4

**The Sedawan**

"That's definitely the Sedawan," Ahsoka said from the gunner's seat of Anakin's Y-Wing starfighter. She glanced at the cruiser, nothing short of a diplomatic ship with minimal weapons systems. Whatever had caused the commotion on the ship, the Sedawan had had no chance against it.

"The ship was being escorted to Coruscant by Master Luminara," Anakin replied. "I sense she is in grave danger."

"You ready to enter the hangar?" Carter asked through the radio. Unlike Ahsoka and Anakin, Kento and his Padawan were flying separate Delta-7 Jedi Starfighters.

"You first," Anakin replied. Carter responded by banking the ship steeply to the left, swooping into the hanger. Anakin's fingers tightened on the controls, and he zoomed in after him.

Ahsoka sprung out of her seat, activating her lightsaber and holding it in her signature Shien grip. She noticed Carter climbing out of the cockpit of his fighter and activating his as well. He opened up in an Ataru stance, but quickly shifted to a crude form of Soresu.

"At ease, Carter," Kento chided. "You, too, Ahsoka." Ahsoka deactivated her lightsaber and clipped it to her belt.

Kento put a hand on Carter's shoulder and spoke to him quietly. Ahsoka strained to hear what he said. "I don't want you using Soresu on this mission unless you are in dire need of it. Whatever happened here, it was enough to make an experienced Jedi Master go missing. You aren't efficient enough in the form yet to be able to defend yourself with this amount of power."

Carter nodded. "Okay," he said, then spoke loudly for the others. "Let's go kick some tinny butt!"

Anakin chuckled at the term, and Ahsoka guessed that Carter, much like herself, had spent a lot of time with clones on active duty. She led the way down the vast ship's halls, disturbed by how eerily silent it was. The sound of metal striking metal stopped her in her tracks, promptly causing Carter to bump into her.

"Hey, what-" he began, but Ahsoka cut him off.

"Shh!" she hissed. "Do you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything."

"Listen!"

The sound was getting louder, closer. Ahsoka glanced back at her master, who grimaced. "I know that noise," he said. They all did.

"Sounds like an SBD patrol," Kento said grimly.

"Supers?" Carter winced. "Those things have blasted rockets attached to their _arms_!!!"

"We can take them," Ahsoka said. "They're AI."

Anakin smiled down at his Padawan. "That's the way to think."

The marching came closer, until around the corner marched three Super Battle Droids. "Hey- intruders!" one of them shouted. "Shoot them!"

"Wait!" Carter said, a smile playing at his lips. "As the high ranking patrol that you are, you'd receive much higher praise if you take us to your leader."

"Um, but our orders are to kill anyone who is not authorized."

"Orders? A good soldier obeys their heart, not their orders! You'd be known as the best of the best for capturing intruders like us," Ahsoka said, catching on.

"Besides," Anakin said. "We lost our authorization papers. We don't know our way around the ship yet, so if you could take us to your leader to get us some new ones, we'll be sure to give you higher rank."

"Err… well, in that case, we're glad to help. This way." The droids turned around and walked back the way they came.

Carter and Ahsoka exchanged a glance, and she could tell that he was holding back hysterical laughter. It was all she could do not to burst out with snorts of laughter herself. Even Anakin wore a smirk on his face. Kento's thoughts were unknown however, as his face was shrouded by his hood.

"Just through this door," the droid said.

Carter stopped. "Okay, I just can't take this anymore," he said. "Master, please?"

Kento sighed. "Fine, Carter. Do it quietly."

Carter whipped out his lightsaber with a flourish and cut through the first SBD, then stabbed the second one. He rolled to the side and swiped at the third's legs, then struck at its chassis. "Not bad, huh?" he said, grinning at Ahsoka as he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it to his belt.

Ahsoka smiled. "I guess. I think I could have done better."

"I think you could have, too."

"At least your Padawan has some humility," Anakin said to Kento. Ahsoka felt her cheeks get hot.

"Not so much humility as pointing out my mistakes, Master," Carter said. "I accidentally destroyed the door controls." He pointed to a sizzling control panel on the wall next to the massive doors.

"Ah, well," Anakin said. "There's more than one way inside." He drove his lightsaber into the door's metal.

"Just not as inconspicuous," Kento grumbled.

Carter offered a pained smile. "Sorry, Master."

As soon as Anakin had cut through the door, the four Jedi leapt through the hole. The bridge was empty aside from a lone figure standing at the head. Upon hearing them, the figure turned to face them. It was a woman, with elaborate designs painted on her face and an intricately woven robe and headdress. In her hands was a humming red lightsaber.

Ahsoka heard a _snap-hiss_ sound to her right. She half turned toward the source of the sound to see Carter standing with his lightsaber lit, in an Ataru Stance. His master stood behind him, holding his yellow lightsaber in the simple, but effective, Shii Cho style. She was bout to follow their actions and take out her own weapon, but she found herself and the others moving back as if invisible hands were pushing against her, the result of the woman utilizing the Force.

The mysterious Force user darted through a nearby doorway, the blast doors closing behind her. Carter stood, blood dripping from his nose, and charged after her. He skidded to a halt as the doors closed completely, and turned to face the others. "I'm guessing that wasn't Master Luminara," he said. "You okay, Ahsoka? Master Skywalker? Master Marek?"

They all nodded. "Just a bit banged up," Anakin said.

"What about you?" Ahsoka asked. "Your nose doesn't look too good."

Carter grinned. "It'll be fine. I get hurt every mission I go on, so don't worry about me."

Kento chuckled. "He's right. Once we thought he didn't get hurt, then we hit a bump in a speeder and he bit his tongue."

Carter laughed. "I remember that. It hurt."

Anakin and Ahsoka grinned. "Smooth," Anakin said. "But we don't have time to reminisce, we need to follow whoever that was."

Ahsoka ignited her lightsaber and stabbed it into the blast doors. While she was carving a neat circle into the metal, Kento remarked, "She looked like a Nightsister."

"Nightsister?" Carter asked.

"They're a Force Sensitive race from Dathomir," Anakin explained. "They practice forms of the dark side, but their techniques differ from those of the Sith. In fact, we don't even know how to classify them."

"How about you just call them Nightsisters for now?" Ahsoka asked, kicking the durasteel of the door through the hole she'd cut. Carter smiled.

"Ladies first," he said. She rolled her eyes and dove through, followed by the other three.

They found themselves in the engine chamber. At the very end of the room. stood the Nightsister, her fingers flying furiously over a control panel. When she saw the Jedi, she typed in a few last commands before running through yet another door.

"She's going to the hangar!" Ahsoka said.

"Then so are we!" Carter said, running down the catwalk to where the Nightsister had stood moments before.

"Carter, wait!" Anakin said. "She's overloaded the-" he was cut off by the sound of an explosion. The vast engine, nearly 100 meters across, engulfed in flames, and a visible shockwave of the blast radiated out. The catwalk collapsed.

Ahsoka turned to see Carter using Force assisted jumps to ascend the falling pieces of platform. He really was an expert at that, probably due to his training in Ataru. She tried to mirror his movements, attempting to get to the platform above them, which led to the hangar doors.

Carter landed on the platform and turned to face her. "The ships coming down around our ears! Come on, Ahsoka!" The two Masters were already on the platform and running for the doors with their lightsabers out, attempting to catch the Nightsisters. Ahsoka continued upward. "Come on, Ahsoka, you're almost there! Jump!" Carter urged.

Ahsoka pushed off the falling piece of metal she was standing with her legs and the Force, preparing to land on a second piece that would provide her enough clearance to jump to the platform. But the second piece wasn't there. Instead, she hung suspended in mid air for a moment before falling back down again. There was nothing she could possibly land on.

"Ahsoka!" Carter shouted. He leapt over the side of the platform and gripped its edge. He interlocked his fingers with Ahsoka's, and hung on for not only his life, but for hers too. "I've got you," he said, his voice quiet. The ship lurched, and for a moment, she slipped out of his grasp, before she reached out and grabbed his forearm. With another shudder of the Sedawan, Carter's fingers slipped from the platform's railing. With a strength that surprised Ahsoka, he swung her up onto the dais as he fell down.

Ahsoka screamed his name and reached for him, but he was too far away, and falling rapidly. She took a deep breath to calm herself and felt the Force flow through her.

Carter stopped falling abruptly, and hung about seven feet below the platform. Ahsoka struggled to keep the Force strong in her as she slowly brought him up to the platform. As soon as he reached the edge and grabbed onto it, Ahsoka collapsed, weakened by her use of the Force.

Carter hoisted himself up onto the platform and sat on his knees next to Ahsoka. "Wow," he said. "Intense."

Ahsoka smiled, breathing heavily. "Thanks," she said. "I owe you my life."

"I owe you mine," Carter said. "How about we just call it even and forget about it?" He grinned the sparkling white grin that caused her heart to skip a beat once more.

"Come on, Flyboy," she said, standing. "Let's get to the hangar." She took his hand and ran down the catwalk with him to the door their masters had passed through.

"Flyboy?" Carter asked.

Ahsoka didn't answer. At the doorway, the two nearly ran into Kento and Anakin. She quickly let go of Carter's hand, fearing it might give the Masters the wrong idea. "We were afraid you two didn't make it," Anakin said. "What happened?"

"Just a few boring life or death situations," Ahsoka said. "What about the Nightsister?"

Kento shook his head, which, surprisingly, was free of the hood for once. "She escaped via one of our starfighters just as we entered the hangar."

Carter's face went pale. "Not mine…"

Kento chuckled and placed a hand on his Padawan's shoulder. "No, I'm afraid it was mine."

Carter breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." Then realizing what he had said, he added, "I mean, it's good since she didn't get a heavily modified starfighter… you know?"

Anakin laughed. "We know what you mean, Carter. It's fine. However, we need to figure out how we're going to get four of us out of here with only three seats between our fighters."

Carter grinned. "I said I'd modified mine. I've got some extra cockpit space."

"What did you do to get that?" Anakin asked, his eyebrow arching.

"I cut out the weapons cache," he said. "A small person could fit in there, I guess."

"The only 'small people' here are you and Ahsoka," Kento said. "Obviously I can't fit."

"We could just do a little switching around," Ahsoka said. "The Masters in the Y-Wing, and the Padawans in the Delta."

"Makes sense," Anakin said. He ran back through the doors, followed by Kento, Carter, and Ahsoka, and into the hangar. The starfighters, aside from Kento's, lay exactly where they had been when they left them.

"Sorry if it hurts your back," Carter said as Ahsoka huddled into the small space behind his pilot's seat.

"I'll be fine," she said, her breath hot on the back of his neck.

"We're, uh…" Carter said into the radio. "We're ready when you are."

"Then here we go," Anakin replied. The Y-Wing rose and flew out of the hangar.

Carter's fingers tapped several buttons on the dash, and the Delta shot into space. The hyperspace ring lay just outside the Sedawan, and he docked. "Where to, Master?"

"Coruscant," Anakin said. "The Nightsisters have stolen a supply of powerful lightsaber crystals, and we need to find out why."

"We'll meet you at the Jedi Temple, Room of a Thousand Fountains," Kento added.

"Roger that," Carter said, pulling a nearby lever. The stars blurred past them as they shot into hyperspace.

"'Roger that?'" Ahsoka asked. "You sound like a droid now."

Carter chuckled. "No, droids say 'roger, _roger_.' Not 'roger that.'"

* * *

**A/N: **Gasp! Ahsoka has a nickname for Carter? They have to share the small cockpit of a starfighter? Things must be about to get fluffy!


	5. Growing Feelings

**Chapter 5**

**Growing Feelings**

Carter leaned against the back of his pilot's seat and tilted his head backwards to make eye contact with Ahsoka. "Well," he said," We've got a good hour in hyperspace here, what do you want to do?"

"Hmm…" she said. "I spy with my little eye… something blue."

"Hyperspace," he said.

"Good."

"Uh, okay, I spy with my little eye something blue."

"Hyperspace?"

"Yup."

"I spy with my little eye something black."

"My hair."

"You got it, Flyboy."

"I spy with my little eye something orange."

"Me."

"Yeah."

Ahsoka sighed. "Okay, this is boring." She put her arms on the top of Carter's seat and rested her head on them. Carter turned his head to face her, their faces just inches apart. "Wanna talk?" she said.

"About what?" he asked. Ahsoka's heart pounded against her chest when she felt his cool breath on her skin.

"I… um… I don't know," she stuttered.

"Why'd you call me Flyboy earlier?" he asked.

"You needed a nickname," she said. "Flyboy suits you. You like to pilot, don't you?"

"I love it," he said. "But why did you have to give me a nickname?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "I don't know. It's just what I do."

"Oh," he said. "That explains it."

"What do you think of your master?" She asked after some time.

"Why do you want to know?"

"It's a conversation starter, now tell me."

'He's, um.. pretty cool. He sees the Jedi Code the way I see it. His best friend in the Jedi Order is Mallie Dru. He met her on… I think we were on Tralus. Yeah, we went to provide reinforcement for her clones there. I don't know. Anyways they hit it off as friends pretty early. They see each other all the time now."

"Does it have any effect on your training?"

"Nah, I don't think so. They usually hang out on my off time. She knows me pretty well though. He spends most of his time with me. Like the father I never had, you know?"

Ahsoka nodded. "Master Skywalker's like an older brother to me."

"Aside from calling him Master and following his orders into near death situations, I can see that."

Ahsoka laughed. "Near death situations make up most of a Jedi's life. Best to get started now."

"Ain't that the truth?" Carter said. "Ever fought a dark Jedi?"

"I've held my own against one, but I've never defeated one."

"Hey, In my eyes, it's better if you hold your own than get killed. Who was it?"

"Asajj Ventress."

Carter's eyes widened. "Ventress? You've gotta be kidding me!! And you didn't die?"

"Obviously. Do you wish I had or something?"

"Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"I don't know. I just-"

Carter put a finger to her lips. "Don't answer that. Just listen to me for a second." His green eyes pierced through her sapphire ones, completely serious. "There will never be a time when I wish you were gone from this galaxy. You hear me? _Never_. Even if you fell into the deepest recesses of the dark side, I would not want you dead. Perhaps I would want you to return to the light, but never die. If this has anything to do with you frying me the day we met, I _forgive you_. It wasn't your fault."

Ahsoka shook her head. "This doesn't have anything to do with that, but for the record, it was my fault." She reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up to expose his muscular chest. She ignored the pounding of her heart and pointed to a darkened mark on his skin. "The scar's there to prove it."

Carter tugged his shirt back down. "The scar proves nothing. You didn't know. For all we know, if we do have to pin the blame on someone, which we don't, it could be my fault for not keeping my defenses up."

"Look, Carter. That was in the past, I don't even want to talk about it."

"I… I'm sorry for bringing it up, Ahsoka."

"It's fine. How much longer will it be till we get to Coruscant?"

Carter looked at his chrono. "Well, we managed to kill fifteen minutes."

Ahsoka groaned. "I don't know how much longer I can take this little space."

"Oh, well, I guess we won't get attacked in hyperspace," Carter said, unfastening his seatbelt. "So we can screw safety regulations. Come on up." He scooted over in his seat and patted the space next to him.

"I.. uh.." Ahsoka stammered. She tentatively dropped her legs over the seat and slid into the chair, landing halfway on top of Carter. She tried to scoot over to the side to get next to him, but found there was little room to move. "Well, this is awkward," she said.

Carter smiled. "It's fine," he said. "Space is cold anyways."

"Yeah, too bad I'm the one on top… that came out wrong."

"Hey, it doesn't mean anything like that. And if you really are cold…" Carter wrapped his arms around her. "… Maybe I can help a bit."

Ahsoka's breath caught. "Don't… don't do that."

Carter's eyebrow arched. "Why not?"

"It makes me feel uncomfortable."

"Okay," Carter said, letting his arms drop. "we still have another forty minutes. If you don't mind, I think I'll tune up some of the ship's systems."

"Go ahead. I might try to get some shut eye."

"Suit yourself," he said, and went to work on a nearby control panel.

Ahsoka leaned her head back and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she was sleeping soundly. Without her realizing it, her head had slipped down from the seat's headrest and onto Carter's shoulder.

She dreamed of a handsome young Jedi with pitch black hair and striking green eyes.

* * *

Poor Carter, hardly even realizes he's making Ahsoka freak out. He just wants to help. =( And poor Ahsoka, she must be so confused. She doesn't even know that her Master would support her feelings for Carter. Of all the Padawans, why do _they _have to be the ones with the married Masters?


	6. Battle of the Malevolence

**Hi! I've been working on this chapter for a while, and I have to say, I'm proud of it. It follows most of the episode _Shadoe of Malevolence_, so there's a lot of starfighter action in here. Bit of a plot twist was added so that Carter and Kento could play a part. Twist: Kento's ship goes out to the Kaliida system to attract the ion cannon so that Shadow Squad can get a break. Also, Carter leads a squad against the droid fighters to keep them off shadow squad's back.**

**This took up six pages in Word (Although it is in 12 point font.), so it's definately a bit longer than my other chapters.**

**Enjoy .**

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* * *

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Chapter 6

**The Battle of the Malevolence**

Three weeks later…

Carter hated the feeling of helplessness. Security duty was definitely one of the positions that made him feel like that. He paced the hallway, back and forth, often crossing paths with Captain Greer, Kento's squad leader. Every time he saw the captain, Carter put on his best I'm-not-bored face, though he knew Greer shared the feeling.

_'Lucky clones get those kriffing helmets to hide their emotions,'_ Carter thought. It had been weeks since the situation with the Sedawan, and Masters Kenobi and Windu had resolved the situation with the Nightsisters. He had seen Ahsoka only once since then, and had only talked to her briefly. At some points, the life of a Jedi was exciting. But at other times, it was just annoying, because they were always so _busy._

Kento's flagship, the _Premium_, was traveling through hyperspace with alarming speed, and was to meet up with Skywalker's ship in the Kaliida nebula. _Premium._ Carter hated the name. It sounded pathetic and wimpy, compared to other ships, like Skywalker's _Resolute._ But it was just as powerful, and Carter knew that. His mission was to take a fighter squadron and engage the Separatists' starfighters while Ahsoka, Anakin, and their squadron destroyed the laser cannon. Kento would risk his ship, to attract the Malevolence's ion cannon. Of course, the only clones on board the ship were those of Carter's squadron and a few of Kento's top men, like Greer. The droids wouldn't know that, though.

However, on the way, Carter, along with most of the clones on board, was patrolling the corridors of the _Premium_, making sure that no tinnies had somehow snuck aboard at their last stop, Kashyyyk. He hummed absent-mindedly to himself, drumming his fingers against his lightsaber at his belt.

_Ahsoka._ He couldn't resist always trying to make her smile or laugh. He remembered the odd feeling of lightheadedness and a pounding heart the first time he saw her. He remembered hearing tales of angels, who allegedly came from Iego, and how they were supposed to be the most beautiful creatures of the galaxy. He now wondered if the angels were really Togrutas, because he had never seen anyone more beautiful than Ahsoka, and he doubted he ever would.

Carter frowned. What was he even doing? His wandering thoughts were against everything the Council had instructed. Was this something that really led to the dark side? It seemed as if it caused no harm. But still, the thought of being banished from the order for caring for Ahsoka seemed realistic.

Carter shrugged away the thought. He couldn't control his feelings no matter how hard he tried. His heart would do what it would.

A beep from his comlink shook Carter from his trance. Grateful for the distraction, he pushed down on the accept call button. "This is Draik."

"Commander," Greer's voice came from over the comm. "General Kento needs you on the bridge."

"Tell him I'll be right there, Greer," he said.

"Hurry, we're almost out of hyperspace. And you know how the General is about time."

Carter laughed. "I'm on my way." With that, he closed the communications and sprinted for the bridge.

___________________________________________________

Ahsoka's heart beat quickly with anticipation for the upcoming battle. Time was of the essence, she knew, if they were to stop the destruction of the Kaliida medical station. It was a risk to use the new Y-Wing fighters on this mission, she knew. After all, they hadn't had too many test runs yet, and there was a chance that the vehicles weren't battle ready.

Nothing had happened so far, luckily, but Ahsoka still felt uneasy sitting in the fighter's turret. Anakin was leading Shadow Squadron through an old smuggler's route, the Balmorra Run, and every once and a while Ahsoka would think she had seen some creature off in the distance, but when she blinked, it would disappear.

"Picking up life forms, sir," Matchstick reported. "A lot of 'em."

"We must turn around!" Plo Koon said for the second time.

Before Shadow Squadron could do anything however, a large neebray manta passed in front of them. Ahsoka stifled a scream and began to lock onto the creature with her targeting sensors. More neebrays began to join the second one, and Ahsoka found it hard to keep her aim.

"Don't shoot!" Anakin exclaimed. "You'll scare them!"

"_They'll_ be afraid?" Ahsoka asked incredulously. "_I'm_ afraid!"

"Shadow Squad, take evasive action," Anakin said, ignoring his Padawan's remark. The fighters arced gracefully in different directions, and Ahsoka gripped her controls tighter, once again praying that the ship would hold together.

"That one looks hungry!" Ahsoka squeaked as their Y-Wing neared a neebray with a gaping mouth.

"Nah, he's just smiling at ya," Anakin replied, his attention solely on maneuvering the ship.

Eventually, Ahsoka could see the other squad members and their Y-Wings after they had navigated through the nebula. She shuddered at the thought of the neebrays and was relieved to see open space again.

"Shadow Squad, gimme a sit-rep!" Anakin commanded. He received several status reports back. Although relieved that the entire squad had survived the nebula, Ahsoka worried about the troops that had had their ships damaged.

Just then, a Separatist ship shot out of hyperspace. The fact that it was the _Malevolence_ was unmistakable: the ion cannon on its side was unfortunately all too recognizable.

Suddenly, a Venator-class Star Destroyer come out of hyperspace, too. Ahsoka heard a beeping from the comm. board. Anakin accepted the communications and a familiar robed man showed up on the fighter's dashboard, with his hood down for once. He flashed a smile at Anakin, displaying a positive attitude.

"Shadow Squadron, this is General Kento Marek," he said. "You're all clear for attack."

"Thanks, General Marek," Anakin said. "Good luck."

"As if I'll need it," Kento said before the hologram dissipated.

"Shadow Squad," another familiar voice came over the comm.. Ahsoka grinned at the sound of the scratchy tone spoken. "This is Hawk Squad. You ready for some action?"

"As always, Hawk Leader," Anakin replied with a slight smile.

Ahsoka forced herself not to whoop with joy.

Carter had arrived.

___________________________

"Alright Squad, here comes the first wave. Let's hit 'em where it hurts!" Carter said, attempting to keep excitement from creeping into his voice.

He focused his bright green eyes on the line of droid starfighters coming ever closer, just outside of firing range. With a sudden burst of speed, Carter sent his Delta-7 rocketing towards the enemy fighters. Swooping upwards, he sent missiles at the droids, grinning at the satisfying sound of explosions underneath.

"Alright boys!" he yelled to his squad over the comm.. "Go get 'em!"

Hawk Squadron eagerly complied, shouting battle cries before flying in and bombing the enemy fighters as he had done. Carter dived downward, spraying the starfighters with blaster fire, nearly running into one before his pulled up at the last moment. "YEEEAH!" he hollered. His squad shouted similar exclamations over the communicator as well.

The sound of the ion cannon building up power suddenly cut off their celebrations. "Evasive action!" Carter screamed, and the V19 Torrents that made up the squadron flew in every direction.

The energy blast came toward them at alarming speed, and Carter shot upwards, narrowly missing the blast. "Hawk Squadron, status report! _NOW!_"

"Hawk Five, and Eight have sustained heavy damage," Hawk Eleven, Bulldozer, reported. "Hawk Twelve, Four, and Seven sustained minimal damage, and Hawk One and Three were caught in the blast. We've lost Six to droid fighters. Everyone else is fine."

"Five, Eight, you think you can keep going?" Carter asked. He received two 'Yes, Sir's as his responses.

"Okay, Hawks, we're good, then," Carter said. "Get ready for round two."

Behind them, the ion round slammed into the _Premium_, and the Venator began to slip downwards. He hoped that Master Kento, Greer, and the others had gotten to safety by now.

The ion cannon began to charge again, but this time, it was directed at Shadow Squadron. Carter frantically tapped the comm. buttons. "Ahsoka! Master Skywalker! Heads up!!"

He saw the Y-Wings split up as the ion blast came toward them, until his attention was diverted to another wave of enemy fighters. He spun his Delta around to face the oncoming horde, and fired his missiles.

It seemed like hours, though it was only a few minutes, that the Droid starfighters were all just scraps of metal floating in space. Carter wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead and turned to the _Malevolence_. He didn't have bombers, but perhaps Hawk Squadron could take out the cannon.

He could see Shadow Squad diving back and forth, peppering the massive weapon with bombs. The cannon charged up again, this time aiming at the Medical Station.

Carter winced. The station stood no chance against the ion cannon. But perhaps the Delta, with its shields fully charged, could absorb some of the damage. Carter shook his head. No way! He would die!! But thinking of it again, he was only one life, and trading it for over sixty thousand lives that would win the war was worth it.

He opened the comm. to access both Hawk and Shadow Squadron's channels. "I'm gonna absorb that blast," he said simply.

"Carter, are you crazy!?!" he heard Ahsoka say. "You'll die!!"

He smiled at her voice, which sent warmth through his shaking body. He wasn't scared. "In that case, see you in the Force."

"Don't!" Ahsoka yelled.

"Sir, if you're going, I'm going with you," Bulldozer said, following Carter's Delta to the location in front of the medical station.

"Me, too, Sir!" the rest of Hawk Squadron said in unison, positioning themselves near Bulldozer and Carter.

"Come on, send us out with a bang!" Hawk Four yelled at the _Malevolence_.

However, an explosion sounded, and the shockwave sent Hawk Squadron backwards. "Nice shot, Ahsoka!" Carter heard Master Skywalker say over the open comm..

He opened his eyes, which he had squeezed shut in fear, to see the ion cannon, or what was left of it, smoking and flaming. He grinned and whooped over the comm., his cheering joined in by Hawk Squad.

"Don't _ever_ do that again!" Ahsoka said menacingly.

Carter let out a sigh of relief. "Yes, ma'am."

_______________________________________

Ahsoka sat next to Carter on the nose of his Delta, swinging her legs a little. "You know, you really scared me there," she said quietly.

Carter flashed his trademark half-smile, which she suddenly found incredibly cute. Ahsoka looked down to hide the blush that crept to her cheeks. "I know," he said. "I'm supposed to make your life exciting, though. That's what friends do."

"Putting yourself in death's way is hardly what I'd call exciting," Ahsoka said. "More like suicide."

Carter touched her chin gently with two fingers and turned her head to make eye contact. "If I say I'm sorry will you forgive me?"

Ahsoka smiled. "You also have to agree to never purposely put yourself in harm's way again," she said.

He sighed. "I don't think I can promise you that."

Ahsoka looked down again. "I don't want you hurt."

"I know," he said. "But we're Jedi. Maybe I can compensate for that though."

Before Ahsoka knew what he was doing, Carter had tilted her head towards his again and leaned in to tenderly press his lips against hers. It lasted for only a fleeting second, but in that second Ahsoka felt scared and wonderful and regretful and in paradise at the same time.

Carter tried to smile afterwards at her. "Ahsoka, I—" he began, but Ahsoka was already sprinting away, towards her quarters, instantly feeling guilty.

As soon as the doors to her quarters closed, Ahsoka threw herself onto her bed, digging the heels of her hands into her eye sockets to hold back the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks. What had they done?


	7. Fixing Mistakes

**Chapter 7**

**Fixing Mistakes**

Carter mentally kicked himself for what seemed like the hundredth time as he lay sprawled out on his bunk in his temporary quarters aboard the _Resolute._ How stupid could he be? Not only had he just soiled his friendship with Ahsoka, but he had ruined their devotion to the Jedi Order.

Sure, he didn't believe in all the tenants of the Jedi Code, but he knew that the Dark Side was something to be feared. Not only that, but if the Council found out about this… incident, expulsion from the Order was a possibility. He would keep his lips sealed of course, but could he shield his mind from them?

Carter knew that there _was_ a trick out there to evading the Council's mind probing. He had read about it in his reports and lessons on Darth Revan. But the fact that he even _had_ something to hide from the Council disturbed him. His head swam when he thought about it, but with so little to do aboard the warship, and Ahsoka refusing to speak to him, this was all he could think about.

Was Ahsoka experiencing the same feeling of guilt as Carter? If so, how was she dealing with it? It wasn't even her fault Carter had kissed her, after all. She was probably trying to bury it deep into her heart, and focus on more pressing matters, like the destruction of the _Malevolence_. He knew she was up on the bridge right now, commanding the _Resolute_ as her Master, along with Master Kenobi, had gone to save Senator Amidala, who was being held on the droid warship. Carter smiled humorlessly as he thought of Ahsoka bravely standing on the bridge, ignoring the feelings within to keep control of the entire crew, and felt a faint pang of pride for his friend.

_'She's not just your friend, you love her,' _Carter thought to himself.

"No, I don't love her!" Carter said aloud, subconsciously thankful that the metal walls were soundproof. "She's just my friend, I care for her. What I did was stupid and totally out of place!"

"It wasn't out of place though," he replied to himself, hardly aware of how crazy he sounded. "Ahsoka was saying how much she cared for me, and I cared for her, and I kissed her. We're both just taking it the wrong way."

"No! Just shut up!!" he nearly screamed at himself, angrily banging a fist on the wall. "Shut up!" Again and again he pounded the wall with his balled up hands madly, until his knuckles were raw, split, and bleeding. He then flopped back down onto the bed, not even registering the hot tears welling up in his eyes.

Carter sighed, wondering how long it would take until he had fallen completely into insanity. "Carter Draik," he said, "you're in love with Ahsoka Tano."

Before he could even think of arguing with himself again, he suddenly broke into an uncontrolled sob.

________________________________________________________________

Ahsoka watched as Senator Amidala and her Master parted in the nearly empty briefing room of the _Resolute_. Arching her eyebrow, she took a closer look at Anakin's face, and saw a very familiar look in the eye.

The way that he looked at the senator was the exact same look that Carter wore whenever he was with Ahsoka. She knew that Amidala and her Master were very close friends. Perhaps that was all she and Carter were. After all, she was sure that Padmé and Anakin would never kiss each other. Anakin followed the code, through and through, just… in his own ways. Perhaps Ahsoka was just jumping to conclusions, and the reason Carter kissed her was not the reason she had interpreted it to be.

Yes. That had to be it. Carter was a Jedi, and although the way he looked at the Code was… unusual, to say the least, he would not do something so blatantly against it. There must have been some other reasoning behind it.

"Ahsoka!"

Ahsoka snapped out of her dazed state and looked up to see that Amidala and her protocol droid, C-3PO, had gone. Instead, the briefing room was again busy with clones of all sorts, and her Master was staring down at her. "Hmm?" was all she could think of as a reply.

"Are you okay?" Anakin asked. "You seem a bit zoned out."

"I- It's nothing," Ahsoka muttered. "Master? Why do the Jedi disallow love? I mean, I've seen it between a few people, and it doesn't look like it leads to the dark side."

Anakin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "That's because it doesn't lead to the dark side. The council just wants you to think that so that you don't have any additional loyalties."

Ahsoka was taken aback, and a small gasp slipped through her lips before she could hold it back. "What? But that Council works for the good of the galaxy! They would never do that!"

"They think of it as a favor to the Jedi," Anakin amended, "in which one isn't forced to choose sides. But love never forces you to join a side, it just helps you to better understand the other person's point of view. The council doesn't realize that. They think that love can weaken your grasp on the light side, but it in fact, strengthens it. While one person may slip away from the path, their lover can bring them back up. The Council hasn't ever understood that, because they've never gotten the chance. That's what I mean, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka let all that sink in, before she realized Anakin's last statement. "Wait- they've never gotten the chance, so are you saying you have?" She meant it to sound like a casual question, but it came out more as an accusation.

Anakin frowned. "I don't know what you mean."

"You said that the Council doesn't understand all that, because they haven't gotten the chance to. But obviously you understand, does that mean you've gotten the chance?" Her Master stared at her blankly, and she was about to ask him more forcefully, but before she could, Rex walked up to them.

"The Senator has safely made it back to Coruscant, sir," Rex reported. Then, he turned to Ahsoka. Noticing the glare that she had turned on him, he held his hands up, fingers splayed defensively, and backed away. "I'm sorry… Was I interrupting Jedi talk?"

"No, Captain," Anakin replied quickly without a glance at Ahsoka. "In fact, I think it's time to report to the Council. Go find Kento, and I'll get Obi-Wan. Ahsoka, you can go on to your quarters."

"Master…" she growled in the most threatening voice she could muster at the moment. Anakin just walked away.

Rex looked down apologetically at the Togruta girl. "Sorry, little'un. I'll stay outta the way next time."

Ahsoka nodded. "You're okay, Rex. It's Master Skywalker who's on my nerves right now. I guess I'd better go to my quarters like he said."

Rex nodded. "Follow orders. They keep—"

"They keep me alive," Ahsoka finished with a smile. "I haven't forgotten. You'd better find Kento. He's probably in the tech room, if I know him."

The clone Captain just nodded and smiled before he walked away. Shrugging, Ahsoka began the long walk down to her room on the ship's second level, a bit more perky than she was before.

_______________________________________________________________

Carter nodded at yet another clone trooper as he strode through the halls of the _Resolute _aimlessly. It was a big ship, he noted. Bigger than the _Premium_. Or maybe it just seemed bigger because of the more open rooms. It didn't have the same floor plan as Master Marek's ship, and all he wanted was to find the main hangar. Working on his Delta would really calm his frayed nerves, if he could find the blasted thing. One hand in his pocket, he gripped his hydrospanner, let it go, and repeated the process. He knew that the boredom was eating away at him; he needed to find a way to talk to Ahsoka.

As luck, or perhaps misfortune, would have it, Carter nearly ran into her as he turned a corner. He smiled embarrassedly, and stepped back a bit. "Um, hi?" he tried, wincing inwardly.

Her face gave away nothing as she fixed her gaze on him. "Excuse me, Carter," she said, and attempted to move around him. However, he just stepped in front of her. Automatically, her hand shot to her lightsaber. "Don't try anything, nerfherder."

Carter held up his hands protectively. "I wasn't going to. We need to talk."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes and folded her arms in submission, leaning against the durasteel wall of the hallway. "What?" she asked, annoyed.

"You know what I mean. Not here. Away from the ears of common soldiers."

"It's here or not at all. I don't know what you're going to do if we're alone together anymore."

"It's about that, Ahsoka!" Carter exclaimed, suddenly exploding with anger. "I'm sorry I got your lips! I'm from Deralia, it's common among friends to give each other a kiss on the cheek, but I kinda missed!" He had no time to be disturbed that the lie had slipped out so easily.

"Kind of? You missed a little more than 'kind of!'" Ahsoka scolded, however, he noticed that her face got softer, and a flicker in her eyes told him she believed it.

"And I'm sorry," Carter said, much more calmly. "I really don't want our friendship to end over this. You keep me sane, Ahsoka. Really. You should have seen me in my room earlier, I was freaking out over this. So, please. Accept my apology?"

Ahsoka looked down for a minute, and when she looked back up she seemed to be fighting tears. "Yes. And I'm sorry too." Her voice broke, and she tentatively hugged her friend. Carter smiled and hugged back, tightly.

"I forgive you. This will never happen again. I promise."

They awkwardly pulled out of the embrace. "Do you think we'll see each other again soon?" she asked.

"Well, this mission was a success, so I expect we'll be sent together in the future as well." Carter flashed his half smile, and nodded.

He was right. They would go on missions together that would shape and mold their intertwined destinies even further


	8. Holding Back

**Chapter 8**

**Holding Back**

"Hey, RT, how are the repairs coming?"

RT-59 paused in her work and rotated her dome-like head until glowing blue photoreceptors locked on to her master. She bleeped happily in response.

Carter grinned. "Good girl." He looked back down at the rag in his hands that he had been using to polish his Delta-7, tugging at its corners before rubbing at the metal.

"You sure do like that fighter, kid." The unmistakable voice of Jango Fett caused him to whirl around, coming face to face with Anakin's top-ranking clone, Captain Rex.

"I… um…" Carter stuttered for the right words. "Y-yeah, I do."

Rex chuckled. "What're you scared of, little'un? I just asked you a question."

"I'm not scared!" Carter said defensively. "I just didn't know what to say."

"Hey, now, I'm not accusing you," Rex said. "Calm down."

Carter's cheeks flushed. "Right, sorry. I… kind of push the Jedi Code aside most of the time. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you."

Rex pulled off his helmet to reveal his face, a sincere smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Look, kid…"

"Carter."

"Right. Carter, to be angry is to be human. It clears your mind in battle, makes you able to cut down any enemy in your path."

"But I'm a Jedi. I'm supposed to be stronger than this."

"You know, you think you would do your research a little more. You know about Maul?"

"Darth Maul, master of the Juyo form, the saberstaff, and stealth. Probably one of the greatest Sith duelists of all time. Killed Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn only to be killed by then-Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Rex raised one eyebrow slightly and stared at the boy for a long time. "A simple yes or no would have sufficed."

"Yeah, I know the guy!" Carter snapped.

"General Kenobi would have been bantha fodder in that duel against Maul. But he had anger. He hated that man for what he had done to his mentor. And so, he unleashed everything he had against Maul. Anger had cleansed his mind, focused him on one thing only: to defeat the Sith. And he did."

"With Ataru," Carter added.

Rex sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You're not getting it, kid! This has nothing to do with your so-called 'lightsaber forms.' It's all about how anger focuses your mind in battle."

"But anger can-"

"Only if you have too much of it. If you only have a bit to keep you focused, you aren't in danger of falling to the dark side. Look at me. I'm not with the Seps."

Carter frowned, then nodded. "I think I understand."

"Good. Now, about your ship-"

"It's a Kuat Delta-7 _Athersprite_ Light Interceptor, capable of-" Carter stopped dead under Rex's withering glare. "Sorry, Captain."

"Looks like it's got a lotta carbon scoring. Think you can tell me a story from each mark?"

He glanced at the scorch marks, then back at Rex. "No."

The Clone Captain clapped him on the back. "Good man." He turned to walk away, but he stopped and pivoted. "You are a friend of Ahsoka's, then?"

Carter just nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"If you hurt her, you're going to answer to me." Rex's easy going attitude had suddenly switched to a very menacing, very threatening tone.

The Padawan stood his ground. "Rex, I don't want to see Ahsoka hurt any more than you do. I'd give my life for her, as I'm sure you would also. Trust me on that."

Rex only gave him a curt nod before he walked away, leaving Carter wondering what had just happened. RT beeped nervously. The boy immediately shook out of his trance and turned to his Astromech. "No, leave the power lining, I want you to work on the pulse converter, see if you can connect it to the relay sensor." His comm. beeped, and he pulled it out of his pocket to answer.

"Carter," Kento's voice assumed its strong, commanding tone. "We've made contact with the Council, they need to speak with you."

"Me? Why me?"

"They have a mission they want to send you on, without me. Get up here immediately."

"Without you? Why?"

"They have a mission for me as well. It corresponds to yours, but I will be in a separate system. Just… come and speak with the Council, and your questions will be answered."

"Yes, Master." Carter ended the communication and turned to RT. "Keep doing what you're doing, if you come across any problems, don't try and fix them until I get back."

RT beeped in affirmation, then continued with her hydrospanner. Carter, after assuring that his fighter was in good hands, turned and began the long walk to the _Resolute_'s bridge.

______________________________________________________________

"You're late," Ahsoka muttered as Carter sprinted into the room, breathing heavily.

"Dumb ship is too big," He managed to say between breaths.

She smiled and took his frayed Padawan braid between two fingers. "When was the last time you took care of this? It's hideous."

Carter grinned, knowing she was joking. "Very funny. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to take care of hair."

"No, I wouldn't. Maybe it's because, I don't know, I don't _have hair_."

"No, you have some… your eyelashes."

Ahsoka blinked, noticing he was right. "Oh, wow, I must not be Togrutan."

"Nope, I guess not," he laughed. "Don't worry, 'Soka. I like your eyelashes. Make your eyes look really beautiful."

"Thanks," she mumbled. Luckily, Anakin arrived before Carter could say anything else.

"Okay, let's contact the Council," her Master said, rubbing his hands together. He touched down on the button, and Ahsoka noticed that Carter was immediately interested in fixing his braid. A smile touched her lips, tugging at the corners of her mouth.

The holographic form of Mace Windu flickered into sight, giving the briefing room a blue glow. Ahsoka bowed slightly to the Jedi Master, along with Anakin and Carter. Windu bowed back. "Padawans, the Council has already explained the situation to both Masters Kento and Skywalker. However, we have decided that I am going to debrief you on your mission to prevent any misunderstanding." He paused, his gaze shifting from Carter to Ahsoka and back, before continuing. "As you may know, we have a base on the planet Elom. About a month ago, we lost contact with them. A squad of clones was sent there shortly after, and they have not contacted us in two weeks. We fear the worst, but we also must investigate. I assume you understand your mission?"

Ahsoka bit her lip to prevent the flow of questions that circulated her mind from streaming out her lips. She would ask her Master on the way, she told herself, if need be. That did not, however, stop Carter. "Master, how can two Padawans, one clone, and a Master expect to stop something that has made you lose contact planet wide? What's Master Marek going to do? And Greer? What if the—"

"Silence, Padawan," Windu said harshly, fixing the boy with a withering glare. "Your questions will be answered through the Force and your investigations on Elom. I expect a higher amount of respect from you next time, young one."

Carter bowed. "Forgive me, Master."

The hologram dissipated, and Ahsoka glanced at Anakin. He nodded to her. "To the Twilight, then," he said, then turned to Carter. "As for you, I would have expected you to have learned the lesson of speaking out to the Council."

The boy's cheeks flushed with a crimson color. "I… I have, it's just… I don't really think on it."

"Well, try harder to do that, then, kid. You're gonna get into a lot of trouble if you keep having repeat incidents."

"Right," he muttered. "Um, can I grab my things from my quarters?"

Ahsoka nearly forgot that carter wasn't a usual member of their little squad. While most of the things she needed were in her quarters on the _Twilight_, Carter had never even set foot on the ship. "Go ahead, we'll wait," she said, turning to smile at him. However, he was already jogging in the other direction.

Anakin continued walking towards the hangar, getting several paces ahead before Ahsoka decided to stop looking at Carter's retreating form to catch up to her Master. "What's up with you and him, anyways?" he asked, not looking down at her.

Shock and embarrassment made her cheeks feel hot. "Me and who?"

"You know who. Kento's Padawan?"

"What do you mean? Carter and I are friends, if that's what you're asking."

Her Master shot her a brief look that only she could possibly interpret. _"You aren't fooling me, now tell me what it is or no more training simulations for a week."_

Ahsoka sighed. "Okay, okay," she mumbled. "He… um, kissed me after the battle. And I got a bit worked up over it because I thought it meant something, but it didn't, because of _Deralia_."

Anakin arched an eyebrow. "So this is all because of a planet?"

"Yeah! Well, no, not… not exactly. It's common among friends on Deralia, apparently, to give each other a kiss on a cheek. But Carter missed and got my mouth, and I thought he was breaking the Code, but then you said it wasn't that bad, and then he explained himself, so I feel weird for freaking out over it, and…"

Anakin looked at he expectantly. "And…?"

"And… that's it?"

"Nice try. I know there's something you're not telling me, Ahsoka. You haven't quite mastered the masking of your feelings yet."

"And I feel wrong for enjoying the possibility that it might have meant something more. And for feeling disappointed because it isn't." She focused her attention on the ground as they walked, until she managed to steal a glance at her Master. Surprisingly, he was smiling, holding back laughter. "What?"

He shook his head, chuckling, and put a hand on her small shoulder. "Ahsoka, you shouldn't feel wrong for feeling that way. It is the common nature of a teenager to feel like that. It's how you're supposed to feel. Just because we are Jedi does not mean we should deny who we are. Embrace it, instead, without fear."

"Master, I- I can't. If the Council found out… He doesn't even return the feelings, I'm sure. He… Blast it, Master, he's so clueless!"

"Language, Ahsoka."

"Sorry. Its just… He wouldn't even be able to tell what I feel for him anyways. It's just not meant to work out. This is one of those things best left alone."

The _Twilight_ came into view, luckily, and the subject was dropped. Ahsoka could hear the light _thud_ of Rex's boots against the durasteel loading ramp as he walked toward them. "The ship's been prepped, Sir," he said. "And my quarters are stocked."

"With what?" Ahsoka asked with a grin.

"All my valuables. Helmet, poppers, and blasters." Rex returned the smile before walking back into the ship with Anakin.

"I'll stay out here and wait for Carter, Master," she called up to him.

He half turned and grinned. "Okay," he said with a wink.

She couldn't help but let her eyes roll. As she scanned the hangar, she actually saw him, crouching next to an orange and blue Astromech droid. A frown crossed her face. How had he gotten here so fast?

Carter must have sensed her attention, and turned toward her. His trademark half smile appeared, causing warmth to blossom in Ahsoka's chest until she forced it to stop out of annoyance and realization that her Master may have had a point.

"Sorry," he said. "I had to say bye to RT."

"RT?" she asked.

"Only the most loyal, lovable astro droid ever. She's the greatest."

Ahsoka's smile was smug. "Just wait until you meet R2-D2."

Carter shrugged. "Whatever." He slung a pack over his shoulder full of his belongings and stared up at the _Twilight_. "We're taking that piece of junk?"

"Master Skywalker's been working on it. It really isn't as bad as it seems. In fact, it's pretty handy."

"Yeah, if you can even get it to lift off," Carter said dubiously.

Ahsoka shook her head with a grin. "You don't believe it, but you will. Come on. I'll give you a tour."

He followed her up the ramp into the ship, showing him the medbay, cockpit, cargo hold, and finally leading him to a hall so narrow that not even two people side by side could fit. Ahsoka had gotten over the claustrophobia it had caused her after a while. "These are the dorms. That one's yours."

Carter activated the door controls for the room she was pointing to. Inside, it was also relatively small. There was just enough room for him to walk in, and to fit a small nightstand and a bed. He tossed his backpack onto the bed and turned to Ahsoka. "This is it?"

"Yeah, you'll get used to it." Her heart skipped a beat when the doors suddenly closed behind her, trapping them both in the small confines of the room. She saw his cheeks brighten with embarrassment and discomfort. Ahsoka had to hold back a sudden desire to touch his face. "Uh… right," she mumbled, her hands fumbling behind her for the door controls. Her breath caught in her throat when her hand came in contact with his, and she felt dizzy when she realized that she had grasped it, entwining his fingers with hers. "Um… Sorry… I…" Their faces neared closer, their lips just inches apart. Ahsoka closed her eyes and touched his cheek, heart thudding wildly in her chest, expecting what she wanted yet didn't want at the same time.

"Sorry," Carter muttered quickly, pulling his hand out of hers and activating the controls to the door. Ahsoka nodded and backed out, then sprinted for the cockpit.

Would the torture never end?

* * *

**A/N: Will it end? After all, the cruel DarthBubbles seems to enjoy it, huh? No, No. As I'm writing it actually, I'm like: It's okay, 'Soka!! You can love Carter! You guys are such a cute couple!!! But, alas, they are Jedi! And they follow a Code made up of turd. :(**

**But on the bright side: REX!!! YEYZ! It's my man, right there! He'll be doing lots in the chapters to come, so if you are as big a fan as I am, or *gulp* as big a fan as MasterVash101 (If it's possible), tune in next chapter for... MOAR REXNESS!!! *squee!!***


	9. On the Twilight

**Chapter 9**

**On The Twilight**

"You claustrophobic yet, kid?" Anakin asked with a smile as Carter shuffled into the cockpit several paces behind Ahsoka.

The black haired boy nodded. "Yeah. Who designed this ship anyways? You'd think that they'd make the rooms a little bigger."

"Well, if you'd rather I hadn't installed the walls…" Anakin grinned.

"Huh?" Carter's mind was barely registering what was happening at the current moment, his mind reeling at the fact that he and Ahsoka almost had a repeat of the post-Malevolence incident.

"The general put in those walls and doors to make separate rooms, little 'un," Rex explained. "Before that, just bunks and nothing else."

"And that would cause quite a bit of discomfort, considering Ahsoka is… well, she's female. Isn't that right, Snips?"

"Oh, yeah. Uh, sure does, Master. Major discomfort."

Carter nodded. "Um, I think I understand where you're coming from, Master Skywalker." Again his mind flashed back to just a few minutes ago with Ahsoka. He'd be lying if he'd said he didn't enjoy it. But he needed to hold back from now on. He'd already told himself that on the _Resolute_.

The thing was, Ahsoka seemed to want it, too. She was the one who held his hand when he'd tried to open the doors. She leaned in closer, she'd even put her hand on his face. It took all of Carter's will to stay in the cockpit with Rex and Anakin than to run to his quarters and bang his head against the wall out of sheer frustration.

Hopefully the mission would preoccupy him. Because otherwise he wouldn't be able to hold out.

______________________________________________________________

The trip proved to be long and dull, the exact opposite of what Ahsoka needed at the moment. It gave her time to let her mind wander, and lately, it had always ended up with her thoughts occupied completely by one person.

Instead, she lay down on her bunk and pulled out her datapad. She'd never heard much of Elom, only that their main export was Lommite, a mineral used in transparisteel. So, to fix this, she hooked up to the downloaded texts she'd been given from the Jedi Archives. The information contained on Elom, however, didn't go into detail beyond. It was inhabited by the Elomin and the Elom, both very different species. From what Ahsoka could gather from her datapad, it was highly unlikely that she would encounter any Elom, with them living in caves hidden in mountains. The Elomin, however, were the ones who operated the few spaceports, cities and Lommite mines that the planet held.

Unable to gather anything else useful, she tossed the 'pad aside and sighed, forcing herself to focus on an oddly shaped grease stain on the ceiling in order to keep her thoughts from drifting. If they did, they would, without a doubt, move to Carter, and he was the last thing she wanted to be thinking about right now.

A light rapping on the door mercifully pulled her from her fixation on the stain. She needed to be distracted, and talking to someone would make for a good diversion. Then, a sinking feeling came in the pit of her stomach. What if it was Carter, coming to apologize for what had happened? What if he wanted to talk it over? Instantly, she turned away from the door and started to feign sleep, until a rough voice stopped her.

"Hey, little'un, have a minute?"

Ahsoka sighed with relief. Rex. Her friend and confidant. She smoothed out her appearance quickly, pasted on a smile, and said, "Come on in."

In the close quarters of the _Twilight_, she couldn't say too much to the clone captain that wouldn't be overheard by Anakin, Carter, or R2. But she could still give him an impression of what she was feeling, if she chose her words right.

Rex leaned against the doorframe. "The Commander and Draik are fixing things up in the cockpit. Droid's helping."

"And why aren't you up there with 'em?" asked Ahsoka.

"Well, I'm no good with a hydrospanner anyways. It got boring, so I came to find you."

"Yeah, well everyone has different tastes," she said with a smile. "So if you don't fix things, what do you do?"

Rex's eyebrows rose slightly, his way of showing mild surprise. It was clear that the thought had never occurred to him.. "I… I don't know. What do you like to do?"

She shrugged. "Well, I like helping people. It doesn't matter what I'm doing, but if I can help, it works. I like piloting some, too, but compared to Master Skywalker, I don't really do too well. Just… when you feel happy, or at peace, what are you most likely doing?"

"Um… DC in hand, gunning down droids," he said with a wince.

"Oh… Well, that' not going to help much here, is it?"

Rex shook his head. "Not a bit."

"Ever think about what you're gonna do when the war's over, captain?"

"Sometimes, when our platoon has some downtime, we do talk about what we're going to be used for when it's all done, yes. Most likely, security duty. Quelling rebellions. Simple things like that. We can't just become productive members of society."

"Why not?"

"Well first of all, we're clones, see? We all have the same face, and there's a lot of us. People will look down on us in the future, segregate us, discriminate."

"But that's wrong! You're fighting for their safety!"

"That's the problem. Not everyone can see the war from a perspective like you and I, because they've never experienced it. For all they know, it's the politicians fighting for them. And secondly, we're _warriors_. We fight, it's in our blood, it's what we've been bred for. We can't just get thrust out into the world that is nothing like our own. It doesn't work that way."

"But-" The sight of Carter behind Rex cut Ahsoka off sharply. "Carter. What do you need"

The black-haired boy smiled apologetically. "Sorry if I was interrupting something, but Master Skywalker wants you- both of you, really- back in the cockpit. We're about to lad, and what with all the snowstorms and such, it's not gonna be easy." He put on a joking grin and saluted. "All hands on deck, full crew participation!"

She couldn't help but smile and let a strangled giggle come out at the joke, no matter how hard she tried to hold it back. Even when she was going insane over him, angry, and upset, she still felt… whole, when he was with her.

As Rex nodded and strode up to the cockpit, Ahsoka began to follow suit. When Carter touched her shoulder, however, she turned. He said nothing, the look in his eyes conveying what he meant more than words ever could.

He was sorry.

And Ahsoka couldn't understand why her heart sank at that.

Carter nearly lost his balance as the _Twilight_ shook violently. He could tell the situation was bad. Never had he seen Anakin Skywalker grip a steering yoke of a ship so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The Chosen One could have been born in a cockpit, he was so comfortable with ships. So the stress he showed as he attempted to land the flailing craft didn't provide much hope.

"Ahsoka, do we still have that escape pod from the time we rescued Master Koon?"

"Yeah," she replied shakily, grabbing onto the control board.

"R2, did you ever finish sealing it?"

The little Astromech tweetled an affirmative response.

"Okay, we're gonna miss the landing zone by several kilometers, and we don't have the time to make the hike back there towards the base. Ahsoka, Carter and R2, you get to the escape pod, we're gonna drop you in. Rex and I will land, fix up the ship, and get to you ASAP. We shouldn't take long."

Carter wanted to tell the man he was insane, but judging by the look on Ahsoka's face, ideas like this popped up all the time, so he held his tongue. Instead, he followed the Togruta into the cargo hold and helped her open the hatch to the escape pod.

"Ladies first," he murmured with a smile, surprised when she allowed him to take her hand and help her up, knowing she could have made it inside easily on her own. R2 was next, using his boosters to fly easily into the pod. Carter was close behind him, closing the hatch as he went in and taking a seat at the controls.

Ahsoka keyed the comm. board. "Master? It's Ahsoka. We're all in and ready to go."

"Got it, 'Soka," came Anakin's voice.

"Good luck little'un," said Rex. "Both of you."

"Dropping you in three… two… one!"

The cargo bay's doors opened in front of them, showing the whiteness of the blizzards outside. Instantly, the escape pod was sucked out and began the plummet towards Elom's snowy surface.


	10. Secrets of Elom

**Chapter 10**

**Secrets of Elom**

"You sure you know what you're doing, General?" Rex asked dubiously, raising a scarred eyebrow at his commanding officer.

Anakin showed a ghost of a smile, most of his attention focused on landing the _Twilight_ in the middle of the blizzards of Elom. "Are you talking about landing this scrap heap or sending the Padawans out the airlock?"

"Latter, Sir. I mean, they're just kids, are you sure they can handle getting to the base in the middle of a snowstorm like this? Even if they sit tight and wait it out, that pod's not in good enough condition for them to hole up in. And if it is the Seps who disrupted communication, if the droids show up-"

"Relax, Captain!" Anakin commanded, banking the ship hard to port. Rex took that as a clarification of his order, though it was most likely just a move to keep them from crashing. "They're smart kids. They have R2 with them anyways."

"Uh, the droid, sir?"

"They'll be fine, Rex, drop the subject."

_"Yeah, right. Because everything is always _fine_, General,"_ Rex thought. He put on an accepting smile, however, and gave a convincing, "Yes, sir!"

"Strap in," Anakin ordered. "I think I'm about to crash another ship."

______________________________________________________________

"Okay, let's see," Ahsoka said, assessing the damage to the escape pod. "Viewport's transparisteel is cracked, and it seems like the environmental containment isn't working, because I'm freezing."

"Okay, so a cracked windshield and a cold Togruta," Carter said, leaning back to cross his legs on the control board. "Anything serious?"

Ahsoka shot him a look. "Maybe it's the lack of power. How about you and R2 see what you can do about it?"

"Why aren't you gonna help out?"

"Because I'm not the mechanical genius: my expertise is in computers, and because I don't really feel like it."

Carter shrugged, sliding out of the pilot's seat and walking over to where R2 was messing with the pod's internal wiring. "Let's check it out, then, buddy."

The little Astromech beeped a positive response and scooted over a margin to allow the young Jedi some room to work.

Ahsoka, having nothing better to do, took Carter's seat in the pilot's chair and watched as his fingers expertly treaded the escape pod's inner mechanics. It intrigued her to see those hands, which she had seen on numerous occasions involved in rough, strong work, such as weight lifting or lightsaber combat, now moving so lightly and tenderly that they couldn't harm a child. Deep down, she knew that the thought was stirring inside her. _"What would it be like to hold those hands, to be held by those well-built, gentle arms?"_

For nearly half an hour she just sat there, gazing at the attractive young man in front of her who was too consumed in his work to notice. However, R2 noticed, and he beeped his observation to the both of them. Ahsoka looked down, embarrassed. Carter looked up at her from his sitting position on the floor of the pod, a heated blush coloring his cheeks. "You've been staring at me?"

Ahsoka shrugged, her composure mostly back in check. "Just trying to see if I can learn anything by watching you. Not really working, though. I keep confusing all the wires."

"That's just 'cause you can't see the connection ports from where you're sitting. I can tell which is which though."

"You sure?"

"Trust me, Ahsoka. The pod's in good hands."

_"My feelings exactly,"_ Ahsoka thought. However, she just swiveled in the pilot's chair to look out the viewport in an attempt to appear indifferent. The blizzard was still raging outside, however, so the only sight she really got was a never ending whiteness.

When she saw the faint, grey outline coming toward the escape pod, she knew there was trouble. "Carter," she whispered, as if whatever was out there could hear them. "Carter, come here."

He frowned, but pushed up off the ground, wiping greasy hands on his pants. "What?" he asked as he came up behind her.

She pointed at the figure, which eerily seemed to be looking more and more like a decapitated humanoid. "Good guy or bad guy?" She glanced back at him, for the first time noticing that she had to look up. Somehow, without her detection, he'd grown within the past six weeks. Carter had grown at least a head taller than Ahsoka, and his boyish features had become chiseled, making him less of a cute boy, and more of an attractive man. Now, however, his face had paled.

"Don't you know what that is?" he asked. She sighed inwardly as she realized his voice hadn't gotten deeper, that there was at least some remnant of the Carter she knew.

Ahsoka shook her head. "If I did, I wouldn't have asked."

"SBD. One of the big ones. We need to get out of here." He took her hand and began to tug her towards the exit, but she pulled away, hand on her lightsaber.

"We're _not_ running."

"Ahsoka, the thing has a _rocket launcher_ for an arm. This'd be different if Rex or Anakin was with us, but—"

Ahsoka turned to give him a glare full of hurt and anger. "I'm _just_ as capable as they are! I can do this!"

Carter held up his hands defensively. "I didn't mean any offense. It's just that Skywalker's a Knight, and Rex could take the thing down from a distance easily. Please, I don't want you to get hurt if you try to take it on up close."

The pain in his eyes was all too real. Ahsoka just couldn't say no. With a sigh, she nodded. She began to gather all their possessions and wipe the escape pod's memory core in case it held any important Republic data.

Finally, Carter unsealed the hatch, and he, Ahsoka, and R2 got their first real taste of Elom's cold climate. Within a second, she could feel the chills traveling up and down her spine as an icy blast of wind hit her skin. Taking Carter's hand in fear of losing him in the never ending whiteness, she broke into a dead sprint in the opposite direction of the Super Battle Droid.

"Wait!" he called. "R2!"

Ahsoka stopped, and sure enough, as she looked back, she could see the little Astromech struggling to roll as fast as he could behind them. The snow seemed to keep getting up into his servos, however. She couldn't do anything about it, though. "Come on," she said. "He'll be fine!" She gave his hand a little tug as if to remind him that it was his idea to run anyways. And in that instant, he pulled away and ran towards R2.

"Carter!" Ahsoka screamed, running after him. "What're you doing?!"

He said nothing, but wrapped his arms around the droid and hoisted him up onto his back. "Run!" he yelled. "I'm right behind you." Carter began to jog back in their original direction, speeding up after he got accustomed to R2's weight.

It was then that he tripped, sending the Astromech flying forward and the boy sprawling onto the ground. Ahsoka stopped and turned, yelling for Carter to get up and run. He attempted to obey, but as soon as he stood, he collapsed. She sprinted back over to her friend, and gasped when she saw his entire left leg soaked in blood. Without knowing what else to do, and the SBD getting closer, she picked him up, staggering a little under his weight, and began to run. "R2, you're gonna have to use your jets or something!" she yelled. The little droid beeped in affirmation of the order, and started to fire his jets in short burst to enable movement above the snow.

"What're you doing?" Carter asked. "I can run, put me down!"

"Your leg doesn't hurt?!" she asked incredulously.

"No, why would it? It feels fine."

Ahsoka winced. "You mean you can't feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"Carter, your leg is bleeding like crazy. I think some ice cut you or something when you fell, but you're in no condition to walk- or run."

"And I can't feel it?!" Carter asked, immediately serious.

"The cold's probably numbed it," she said. "I just need to take a look at it."

Carter took a quick look around, then pointed to a nearby mountain to their right. "Over there," he said. "To the ice caves."

Ahsoka continued her steady sprint, turning in the direction Carter had pointed out. Worry for Carter's injury kept her resolve up. The cold may have numbed it partially, but if Carter could feel no hint of pain, then there must have been something wrong with it. She hoped that it was just his natural reaction to block out pain.

She wasn't sure how long they'd run, but she continued at the same pace, even if the droid wasn't behind them any longer. But they needed shelter, and they needed it right then. Carter's leg hadn't stopped bleeding, and Ahsoka didn't know if he'd lost too much blood or not.

"You okay?" she asked him anxiously.

Carter just grinned. "Yeah. 'Course I am. The question is, are _you_ okay?"

Ahsoka smiled at him. "We're almost there," she said, not answering his question out loud. But silently, she thought, _"Yes, Carter, I'm okay. But if you can't pull through this, I won't be."_

______________________________________________________________

"Well, could've been worse," Anakin said, inspecting the damage to the _Twilight_ with a smile.

"Of course it could, sir," Rex replied, not quite fully understanding what could be worse than complete engine and long-range communications failure.

Anakin tossed him a comlink without warning, causing Rex to stumble backward in order to catch it. "Contact Ahsoka, see how they're doing."

"Yes, Sir!" Rex said with a salute. He keyed the comlink's controls. "Ahsoka, come in."

There was static for a few seconds before the voice of the young Togruta came through. "What's the damage, Rex?"

The clone smiled briefly at the phrase which she had undoubtedly picked up from her Master. "Comm.'s down, and the engine isn't working, but I'm sure General Skywalker can fix that within a day. How are you two- three, sorry, I forgot about the droid- doing? Anywhere near the base, or are you still holed up in that pod?"

"Um… none of the above?"

It was the uncertainty in her voice that made Rex's heart skip a beat. "What's the situation?"

"We were gonna stay in the pod, but an SBD showed up. I wanted to fight it, but Carter said that the rocket launcher would never give me a chance, so we ran. And Carter went back for R2 and had to carry him, but he fell and sliced open his leg. So we had to hole up in these ice caves." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Carter's leg is really bad. He's lost a lot of blood. I don't know… I don't…" Rex heard her voice catch slightly. "I don't know if he'll survive this."

"I heard that," Anakin said in a worried tone. "You need to make him a tourniquet, 'Soka."

"But… I don't know if I can!"

"If you don't try, he's going to die, I'll walk you through it."

In the background, Rex could hear Carter. "I'm going to die because I tore up my leg? Come on, I wanted to get sent out with a bang!"

"Master!" Ahsoka hissed.

"You need to do this, little'un," Rex said gently. "And then once we get up to the medical frigates, they'll amputate it."

"Amputate?" Ahsoka repeated with a gasp.

"It's better than having the kid dead!" Anakin said fiercely. "Now, take your belt…"

________________________________________________________________

"It isn't the best work I've done, but it's doing the job," Ahsoka said into the comlink, eyeing the makeshift tourniquet that wrapped around Carter's leg just below his knee.

"Good job, Ahsoka," Anakin said encouragingly. "We'll come and find you after we check out the base. It's only a few klicks away."

"Got it, Master." She pocketed the comlink and glanced over at Carter, who gave her a reassuring grin.

"Thanks," he said, green eyes sparkling. He leaned forward, attempting to take in some of the heat that R2 was generating through his jets. "So we just sit here, right?"

"Pretty much," Ahsoka replied with a sigh.

"I'd offer a duel, but under the current circumstances…" he gestured at his leg, implying what would have ended his sentence.

"I still don't really know how it happened."

"I think it was ice, like you said. But I don't know. I couldn't feel a thing. I still can't." He was silent for a while, glancing down at his useless leg with a hint of sadness in his eye. "You think that they make prosthetics that can still transmit feeling?"

Ahsoka gave him a pitying look as she sat down next to him. "I'm sure that they do. Master Skywalker's got one that does. It'll work out." She reached her hand forward, running her fingertips through his soft, black, hair.

He gave her his now-trademark half smile, sending her heartbeat into a frenzy. "He does? How'd that happen?"

"Dooku sliced it off… Your hair's so soft," she murmured.

He grinned. "It's the conditioner."

She glanced up. "The what?"

"Oh, right. You don't have hair, you wouldn't know. It's this stuff that makes hair softer and more manageable and stuff."

"_That_ sounds amazing." Sarcasm was clear in her voice.

Carter grinned. "Makes it smell good, too."

She smiled slightly as she leaned in, placing her forehead on the top of his head, her fingers still threading through the hair on the back of his head, and inhaled. She could slightly smell the shampoo and conditioner from his short time tin the refresher several hours before aboard the _Twilight_ above the sweet scent of his cologne. "Humans do know how to smell good," she admitted into his pitch black hair.

He twisted his head around so that their foreheads were touching. "It's a gift," he smiled and put a hand on the back of her neck, mirroring her own hand on the back of his. "But that's not to say Togrutas reek. After all," he sniffed audibly, "you smell great."

"It's called perfume," she said with a smile.

"I know. But you're spraying on stuff that's meant to smell good to Humans, not Togrutas."

"Yeah, well I do spend more time around Humans than other Togrutas, so…"

He slid his free hand forward, entwining his fingers with hers. "So?"

She just sighed. "Carter, what are you doing?"

"Sitting here with my best friend. What are you doing?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know that's not what I meant." She picked up their intertwined hands. "This? You know it's not allowed."

"Look, Ahsoka. I know there's a possibility that the whole blood loss thing could kill me. And I don't want to die without letting myself feel… I don't know, _whole_."

She tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. "You know how much I want this, too, Carter. But we can't. The Code says-"

"Screw the Code," he murmured, pulling her head down and locking her lips with his. This time, there was no regret, no uncertainty, no guilt in his kiss, just pure, sweet, love. And Ahsoka couldn't handle it. Now that the gap was closed, she couldn't bear to open it up again. She wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair once again, and pulled him down so that he was nearly on top of her. His muscular arms wrapped around her waist tightly, pulling her to him. Finally, however, the kiss ended as they both pulled back, gasping for air. His arms loosened, but she placed a hand on his wrists.

"Don't let go," she said.

"I won't," he whispered, pressing his lips to her cheek. "Okay? I promise you, I'll never let you go."

She sighed, leaning against his chest. How she wished he could keep his promise. But he couldn't, not without breaking his vow to the galaxy. For now, though, she was content in his arms, knowing that this moment would just be lost in the wind, the storm, another of the many secrets of Elom.

* * *

**A/N: FINALLY! Awh, wow. You don't even know how much I enjoyed writing that scene. Like seriously, it was so BEAST! (in case you don't know, in my vocabulary "beast" is synonymous with "incredibly awesome." Which is why my Sophmore friend calls me (a Freshman) FroshBeast.) Anyways, big thank you to Nickelback and their song "Far Away" for inspiring that scene. You should go back and listen to that song while reading it. I woulda told you to do that at the beginning but for those of you who've pretty much memorized the song, it would have ruined the surprise for ya! Or didja know it was coming? I was kind of even surprised with what I wrote. Originally, Ahsoka was supposed to run away again, but having nowhere to run, come back to Carter and try to explain things to him, and there wasn't as much loveyness. BUT I pretty much spent the whole day with my friend and her boyfriend, which is probably the cutest couple I've seen in my lifetime, and I witnessed their loveyness which put me in a lovey mood, which makes me write lovey things. Ta Da!**

**Anyways, peace out, hope you like it, Happy October 1st. :)**

**-DarthBubbles**


	11. Finality

**Chapter 11**

**Finality**

Rex dropped into a combative stance, his pistols moving from their holsters to his hands in one quick motion. He just waited, pressed up against the wall, until Anakin gave him the go ahead. The two could hear the distinct voices of Dooku's battle droids from the control room of Elom's base. So far, it had been completely deserted, so hearing the droids, who most likely slaughtered all his clone brothers, nearly sent Rex over the edge.

_"They don't have feelings," _he thought bitterly._ "Kriffing clankers can't feel a thing."_

Skywalker waved at him, and it was all Rex could do not to scream in rage as he leapt out from his hiding place, blasters firing, gunning down the startled droids easily. In less than a second, Skywalker had leapt over Rex's head and was slicing through droids in fluid, smooth movements.

_"Huh. Wish I could jump like that."_

The droids were all down after a few minutes, and Anakin logged into a computer console nearby. "Alright, then," he muttered. "Time to figure out what happened here. Rex, watch the door."

"Yes, Sir!" the clone captain replied wholeheartedly. He was disinterested in what his general was doing. Most likely it was video feed of what had caused the disappearances of the clones. Glancing back, Rex saw that that was the truth, and averted his eyes quickly. He didn't want to see all the ways the droids murdered his brethren. Unlike Skywalker, Rex wasn't curious. He'd just accept that the droids killed them and leave it at that.

"Rex, come here." Anakin was motioning to him.

"Sir, with all due respect, I've seen enough death."

"That's just it. There's no death. Look at this." He stepped aside to let Rex through to the screen, and Rex saw several white-clad clone troopers, DC-15 rifles in hand.

"The Seps will be on us soon. We need to get out of here," one said.

"No! We stay and fight!" another argued.

"This facility isn't a fortress, Powerhouse," the first clone said. "We don't know how many droids are going to be coming, not with the storm knocking out our sensors like this. I've already wiped the databanks, it's safe to leave now. But five clones can't take on an army."

"You'd be surprised," Powerhouse growled. "Remember that I came from the front lines."

"Remember that this isn't the front lines. And that we have two recruits coming here straight from Kamino who've never been in a war zone before."

Powerhouse glanced at two clones, who were watching the confrontation intently, for a second. "Alright, Sting, you win. We leave now."

Powerhouse and Sting started down the hall, followed by the other three clones. Before they were completely out of sight, however, Sting turned. "Niner! Crash! Deal with that security camera!"

The two clones who'd been marked as new recruits pivoted, argued for a moment on the best way to get the job done, before one raised his rifle and shot it, ending the feed. The screen went static.

Rex raised an eyebrow. "So they aren't dead, but where are they?"

Anakin smiled. "That's what we find out." He turned and started for the facility's exit.

Rex groaned inwardly. _"This mission just keeps getting better."_

________________________________________________________________

Ahsoka opened her eyes with a yawn. For a moment, she was surprised and embarrassed to be huddled up in Carter's arms before she remembered what had happened the previous day. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyelids again, pressing her cheek to his chest.

He grinned down at her. "About time you woke up. I was getting tired of watching you."

"You were just watching me sleep?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't want to wake you up. Besides, you're so calm when you're sleeping. And quieter." He gave her a joking smile.

She huffed, sitting up and feigning anger. "You think I'm too loud?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you meant it."

He grinned, snaking his arms around her waist and pulling her into his lap. "I'm sorry," he said gently with the slightest touch of his lips to her cheek.

She sighed, exasperated, as she craned her neck to talk to him face-to-face. "I can't even pretend to be mad, you're just too… too…"

"Too awesome? Yeah, I know I am."

She pushed him playfully. "Conceited is more like it."

"I can live with that," he said with a shrug. He pressed his lips to hers tenderly for a fleeting second. "Besides, I _do_ have a good life… right now."

"Right now?" she repeated. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He smiled and kissed her again, a bit deeper, longer, more passionately than before. "Because you're here with me and that's all. And I don't have to worry about that dumb Code."

"That dumb Code has kept the galaxy running for thousands of years, Carter."

"Yeah? Well look how the galaxy is running now, 'Soka. War?"

"Started by a man who didn't follow the Code," she said. "Look, I don't like it any more than you do, but the Jedi Code is the Jedi Code, and two Padawans aren't gonna be able to do anything to change it."

His arms tightened around her waist. "I know," he mumbled with a sad smile.

She brushed a strand of hair from his eye before cupping his cheek in her palm. "We aren't gonna be able to keep this up, are we? I mean, after Elom, it's all gotta be over."

He nodded. "All of it. I… I'll miss you."

"Relax, we'll still have missions together."

"I don't think so. Ahsoka, I can't even stand being around you. Your presence is… it's intoxicating. My feelings take over, I don't think straight."

"Are you saying that… that you…" she couldn't finish her sentence. Her throat closed up and hot tears sprang to her eyes as she began to comprehend what Carter meant. He couldn't see her anymore.

"Shh…" Carter soothed, rubbing her back.

"Don't! You said you wouldn't let go!" she sobbed. "You-"

He cut her off by crushing his mouth to hers. Instantly, she went limp in his arms, just barely getting her hands around his neck. He kissed hungrily, as if to prove his point that this would be their last mission together, as if he wanted something to really remember her by before he left her.

Carter pulled back, spent by his exertion in shutting her up. "Look, we both swore to protect the galaxy, and what good will we be if we turn our backs on that promise for personal feelings?"

She nodded. "I… I understand. It's just…"

"I know. But we still have these last moments together." He was about to lower his lips to hers again when the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the cave.

"Skyguy and Rex," Ahsoka groaned.

Carter rolled his eyes and lightly pushed her off of him. She wiped the tears from her eyes hastily. The sounds of the boots on ice got closer and closer, and he gave her a concerned look. "What if it's not them?"

Ahsoka's eyes widened. She almost instantly leapt up and had her lightsaber in hand. Carter's was also out, though all he could really do with it was deflect blaster fire from where he was sitting. "I'll be right back," she said to him, and began to walk toward the sound, her footsteps nearly completely silent.

A startled yell escaped her lips when two armored clones walked around the corner. Activating her lightsaber and holding it to their throats, she put on the best threatening voice she could. "Helmets off." She didn't know if these were Separatist decoys.

"Yes, Ma'am," they replied in the same voice she'd heard from Rex, Matchstick, Cody, and nearly any other active soldier she'd spent time with. There was really no need for them to take off their helmets once she'd heard their voices, but it was done, and she was looking at two identical faces. Like most clones, they'd done some personalization when it came to their hair. The first one was clean shaven, with his brown hair neatly spiked in every which way, held in place by gel. The second's hair was buzzed, though he sported a full goatee, which seemed as if it was taken care of daily.

"Just making sure," she said with a smile. "What are your names?"

"I'm Theta C-276. Crash, Ma'am," Spiky-hair said.

"Theta C-999," said Goatee. "They call me Niner."

"I'm Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Padawan. Back there is Carter Draik, also a Padawan, but he's pretty badly injured. We were sent to investigate the communications disruption."

"It's the Seps, Ma'am," Niner said. "There were only five of us on duty at the base, so we high-tailed it. Not my idea, Ma'am."

"You ran?" Ahsoka asked.

"It was our commanding officer's orders, Ma'am," Crash said. "It was five against we didn't know how many, so we wiped the memory systems and took all important data with us on a pad, and then we ran. I would have rather fought, but orders are orders."

"Powerhouse didn't recognize that," Niner said. "But he was… um… lost, so I guess we shouldn't talk about him like that."

"Well, Vice was lost too, but he followed command," Crash replied.

"Just forget it. Past is past."

Ahsoka frowned. "Who is your commanding officer, did he make it?"

"Well, I could go get him if you want, he's the one you'll wanna talk to," Niner told her.

"I'd appreciate it," she said with a smile. "I would go, but Carter's in no position to move."

Niner nodded and walked away. "I'll be back," he called.

Ahsoka led Crash to the temporary camp she and R2 had set up. "Carter, this is Crash."

"Hi," Carter said casually. "Hey, Ahsoka, could you turn R2 on, we'll need him to boost the transmission signal if we want to tell Master Skywalker you found one of the Clones."

She smiled at him. "More than one," was all she said as she bent down to activate the little Astromech.

Crash just rocked back and forth on his heels impatiently, whistling slightly to himself.

"Hey, what General you under?" Carter asked him with a smile.

"Oh, I'm a new recruit. So is my partner, Niner. So we don't really have a certain General quite yet."

"Maybe I could talk to Greer, see if I can get you in under my Master, Kento Marek."

"General Marek?" Crash asked, his eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "His courage at the battle of Rodia is legendary."

Carter grinned. "That's my Master! What about his apprentice?"

"Um, sorry, I'm going to have to say no to that one. Never heard of you."

"I took out Separatist communications… on his orders of course, but still."

Crash smiled. "Cool. I'd love to serve under you."

"Link's set up," Ahsoka said. "Cut the chatter."

"Yes, Ma'am," Crash said.

Within a few moments, the holographic forms of Anakin and Rex appeared from R2's projection emitter. "Master, found the clones for you," she said.

At the same time, Rex said, "The clones aren't at the base, are they somewhere in those ice caves?" Then, hearing Ahsoka's words, he laughed a bit.

"Don't move," Anakin said. "We're on our way."

"Don't move?" Carter repeated. "Darn."

"Very funny," Anakin replied, smiling. The link was cut, and Ahsoka turned to Crash.

"Maybe you should go check on your buddy," she said.

He nodded. "Good idea, Ma'am." He stood and walked around the corner where they'd first met.

As soon as he was out of sight and earshot, Ahsoka knelt down next to Carter. "This is it?" she asked.

"Not quite," he said, and he locked his arms around her neck and pulled her in for a final kiss.


	12. Torn

**Chapter 12**

**Torn**

Carter winced, wondering how it would feel. The medical droid was sterilizing the blade that was about to cut off his leg just above the knee. Sure, he'd lost all feeling, but would there still be pain? They hadn't given him any sedatives, so he hoped that meant it wouldn't hurt. The droid wheeled over and gave him a polite warning.

"I will begin the amputation now, sir. If you wish to avert your eyes, now is the time."

Carter considered doing just that, but instead he shook his head. "No this'll look cool. I wanna see."

"If you say so, sir," the droid said.

Kento smiled at his Padawan. "You are quite the typical boy."

"Thanks Master. You wanna watch?"

"As great as that sounds, watching amputations isn't really my thing."

Carter was about to come up with a witty comeback, but a strange tickling sensation came over him, causing him to close his eyes and shudder. When he opened them, his leg was completely gone. "I… I missed it."

Kento chuckled. "I'm sorry, my friend. You can watch them install the new one if you want, though."

Carter sighed. "This is just _weird,_" he muttered as he watched the droid attaching the new leg. It was very realistic looking, but it wasn't _his_. "That leg and I have been through a lot."

"Maybe you should keep it as a memento," Kento said jokingly.

"That's just gross, Master. No way."

The droid made some sort of noise akin to clearing its throat. "Installation of the prosthetic is complete. It should feel like your old leg. I will perform sensory tests, and then I would like you to walk for me please."

"Um, okay… hey!" he said as he felt the droid pinpricking the new leg. Then a grin spread across his face. "Holy… I can feel! Ouch!" The droid continued poking his 'skin' lightly with a needle. "This is so sweet! It's like a real leg!"

"That is the purpose, sir."

"Your monotone is getting on my nerves," Carter muttered under his breath.

"I apologize, sir. This is my programming."

"Carter, don't get mad at the droid."

"Sorry, Master." He glanced down at his leg, and wiggled his toes a bit. "This thing is amazing, it totally feels real."

"Treat it well, those things are costly," Kento said.

"I can see why."

"Please stand, sir," the medical droid said. Carter obeyed, putting weight on his new leg for the first time. It felt a little strange, like his right leg was holding more of his body than the left, but other than that, he felt fine. He gave the droid a thumbs-up, signaling that he was good and ready for the next order. "Bend your knee." He did, swinging it back and forth in a kicking motion. "Walk toward me." Easily enough, he did. Carter rolled his eyes. He knew that the rest of this would just be him doing things he already knew how to do, even though his leg was perfectly compliant with all those activities. "Run." Carter sped around the room. "Jump." He hopped up and down, even performing a few back tucks while he was at it. "Your condition seems fine, reaction is abnormally fast as well as reflexes, most likely due to your high midi-chlorian count., I believe you are ready to go now, sir."

"I knew all that, but thanks," Carter said. "One thing though. Do I still have the same shoe size?" He smirked at his own quip.

"Yes, sir, I believe so. Size 8?"

Carter frowned and shook his head as he followed Kento out. "Stupid droid. Can't even take a joke."

Kento chuckled. "Well, joking isn't part of its programming."

"It should be."

The two walked in silence for a while, apprentice and master, through the halls of the flagship. Carter knew he should speak up about Ahsoka, tell his Master that it would be better if they were separated. He'd heard of Jedi in the past who exiled themselves from Coruscant, keeping in contact with the council only through the Holonet and other Jedi for the same reasons, and were still able to serve and protect the Republic. That's what he intended to do.

He'd had to convince himself that it was for the best. He wanted, _needed_, Ahsoka to be happy, and while he was sure it would hurt for a while, for the both of them, he knew that the Jedi Order was Ahsoka's life. He couldn't screw that up for her.

"What's on your mind?" Kento asked. "You seem troubled."

Carter sighed. Here it was, the moment of truth. "I am, Master." He took a deep breath before continuing. "It's Ahsoka. I, uh… I can't see her anymore."

Kento arched an eyebrow. "Why not? I thought you were friends, you seemed really close."

"That's just it, Master. We are really close. Too close. I… When she's near me, I just lose it. I can't think straight, all that consumes my mind is Ahsoka. And it's killing us. We can't keep our vows to the Order like this, and I know it means more to her than anything to be a Jedi, so… I have to leave her."

Kento bit his lip. "You certainly are being brave enough to face your feelings."

"What do you mean?"

"I wasn't planning on telling you, or anyone about this, but I feel I need to show you this." Kento pulled out a holo of two very familiar faces. Carter looked at the picture of his Master, saw the joy in his eyes as his arms wrapped around the waist of his equally happy best friend.

"It's you and Master Dru, I don't—" Carter was silenced by Kento's finger to his lips.

"Not Master _Dru_. Master _Marek_."

"No, I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about Mallie."

"That's who I'm talking about, too, Carter. Mallie and I are in love, we married around a year or so ago."

Carter took a step back from his Master. "What?"

"Carter, don't be mad, we couldn't help our feelings. But what I'm trying to tell you is that you can't let go what you have with Ahsoka. You just can't."

"No. You promised. You took the oath just like every other Jedi, and you broke it!"

"The oath only made us swear our loyalty to the Jedi, Republic, the Galaxy, it said nothing about following-"

"That's to be expected! The Jedi Code is the _Jedi_ Code for a reason, Master!"

"So much for you who not even half a year ago said that the Code is nothing but a set of guidelines!"

"That was before I learned my lesson!"

"What lesson is there to be learned by letting go all you hold dear?"

"You may feel that path is for you, Kento, but it's not for me. It will never be for me. I am a Jedi!"

"Carter—"

"No, just… just…" he took another step back, before turning his back on his master and running aimlessly through the halls of the ship. He finally stopped in an empty corridor and fell back against a wall, holding back the hot, angry tears that welled up in his eyes. "Come on Carter, don't cry about this," he said to himself fiercely. "You're tough. So what if your master betrayed the trust you put in him? So what if what he said cut you to your core? So what if you're probably never gonna be happy again if you just leave Ahsoka like this? At least you're man enough to face these feelings." He shook his head, coming to realize that he talked to himself too much. Wiping the wetness from his emerald eyes with the sleeve of his tunic, Carter pushed up off of the wall, his resolve strengthened.

He'd made his decision.

Now he had to tell Ahsoka.

_______________________________________________________________

Life seemed to hate her at the moment.

That was the thought that was circulating through Ahsoka's brain as she sat in her quarters, trying to sort out the mess she'd gotten herself into. The _Resolute_ was left in her hands while Anakin had taken the _Defender_ with R2 with his own plans. And if she failed in her mission, all of Ryloth would suffer. What made the matter worse was that only hours ago she'd rejected orders and lost half her squad while she was at it. Not only that, but she had to sort out her feelings for Carter.

She knew it was inevitable that the boy would eventually petition the council for their separation. Knowing Carter, he'd make the sacrifice as well, moving away from Coruscant to some far off outer rim planet in order to keep her loyalties safe. The only problem was that Ahsoka had multiple duties: her obligation to the galaxy, and her duty to her heart. Between them, however, she was torn.

Torn. As if her heart had literally been ripped in half. Just thinking about it made a lump form in her throat that she had to force down.

The comm. beeped, and she looked up to see who the call was from, knowing already who it most likely was. Him. It was Carter, and she knew he was going to tell her that they needed to be separated. Happy to see his face, but sad to hear what he had to say, her finger hovered hesitatingly over the _accept call_ button before she pressed down. She put on a grim smile.

"Carter I know what you're going to say, and this isn't really the best time, but thanks anyways."

His eyebrow arched. "So… I don't have to tell you…"

"That you wanna avoid me for the rest of your life? You're covered." She mentally slapped herself when she heard her voice pitch raise slightly, and fought to keep back the hysterics.

"Look, Ahsoka, it's not like that, I'm just-"

"I told you it's not a good time, Carter. Okay? We can say goodbye on Coruscant if you want."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"What is there to _talk_ about? You're leaving, that's fine. It's for the best, sure, whatever."

"No, I mean what's bothering you at the present moment?"

She sighed and sat. "I'm sure it'd bore you."

"I want to be there for you, still. And we haven't said goodbye yet."

"True till the end, I see," she said with a roll of her eyes. She could see the hurt on his face and realized that her comment had stung. But that was nothing compared to what he was making her feel at the moment. It felt as if someone had slowly twisted an icy dagger into her heart and left it there, a wound in her soul.

"What's wrong?" he pressed.

"Lost over half my squad disobeying orders and now all those Twi'leks' lives are in my hands."

"Ahsoka, that's nothing to worry about."

"Are you even kidding me?" she asked, close to hysterics. "I _can't_ do it, Carter! Every single time I get put in charge of something, I blow it."

"No, you don't. In fact, this is why you don't need to worry about it. You _can_ do it, and you _will_ do it. You don't trust yourself enough, Ahsoka. It doesn't kill you to have a bit of pride in your abilities once in a while. I know you can do this, and I know that all over the Holonet they'll be talking about the courageous Commander Tano, who turned the tide of the battle of Ryloth."

Tears came to her eyes at that. "You… You're being serious, aren't you?"

He smiled and nodded. "One hundred percent. And if it isn't enough that I'm all for you on this, just remember that there's a full crew on that ship who's got your back. And Rex."

Ahsoka just grinned. "I… thanks, Carter."

Her best friend nodded. "Now go kick butt. I'll see you on Coruscant."

The transmission ended, and she, although her resolve was strengthened, felt more alone than ever. She pushed it all to the back of her mind for the moment however, and made her way to the bridge. For now, she had a battle to win.

There'd be time to cry later.

______________________________________________________________

"It is hereby decreed that Carter Draik, due to forbidden feelings for Ahsoka Tano, is exiled to the Outer Rim planets, and for the time being the planet of Iego," Mace Windu said. Ahsoka could feel the lump in her throat as she saw Carter nod and accept his fate.

"Strong courage, this one shows," Yoda said, attempting to bring light to the situation. "Although these forbidden feelings have sprouted within his soul, the power to turn from them, he has. May the Force be with you, young Draik."

"Thank you, Masters," Carter said with a bow. He glanced up at Kento and got the slightest of nods. Together, master and apprentice made their way to the outside of the temple, Ahsoka wordlessly trailing behind.

Kento climbed into the speeder, packed with all of Carter's belongings, and waited, giving his apprentice time to say goodbye. The boy received several handshakes and claps on the back and such from the other Padawans who had befriended him, and Ahsoka watched from several yards away. Eventually, the others went back inside the temple, intending to leave Carter with Ahsoka. She could sense them peeking from behind the pillars, however, trying to see exactly what sort of 'forbidden feelings' he had for the Togruta.

Saying nothing, he pulled her into a tight hug, and she just stood there, arms around his neck, holding back her tears, and repeating the words, "Don't go," over and over. He responded with a tight squeeze of his arms around her bare waist, and a stifled sob from his own throat.

"I have to, Ahsoka. I have to… Shh… It's okay," he attempted to soothe her. With a slight touch of his lips to the top of her head, he slid out of her grasp and into the passenger seat of the speeder, leaving her with her arms outstretched for him. There she remained until the speeder was out of sight before she let the tears fall, ignoring the other Padawans who had been out of sight and were now coming out of their hiding places to comfort her. Without saying anything, she brushed them off and ran for her own speeder, needing some time to be alone and cry.

One thought provoked more tears than any other.

Carter had not once glanced back.

_____________________________________________________________

Carter listened to Kento humming quietly to himself, staring out at the lights of Coruscant at nighttime. It was beautiful, he had always thought so, and he was saddened to leave it behind. That was all he seemed to be leaving behind. The beauty of Ahsoka, the beauty of every moment he had with her, the beauty of his feelings for her.

_"I had to do it,"_ he reasoned with himself. _"I'm a Jedi, I need to get over my feelings."_

Yet he could not stop the swarm of memories that flooded his mind as they sped through the Coruscant space lanes. He remembered the first time he'd ever seen Ahsoka, how he'd been awestruck by her beauty and skill, and how she had stabbed him at the end of their duel. He smiled slightly to himself as he thought of their mission to the Sedawan, and how they had saved each other's life, how he'd briefly held her for the first time in the cramped quarters of his starfighter. How she'd once again saved his life during the battle of the Malevolence, and their first kiss in the hangar of the _Resolute_. The mission to Elom was the final thought that came to him, how they had finally admitted their feelings and he had held her in those ice caves, knowing that it was likely going to be their last time together.

It was through these thoughts that Carter realized what he was doing. He had just left Ahsoka, his only purpose in life, for a life of solitude and loneliness. Without Ahsoka, he felt no desire to live. Glancing over the side of the speeder, Carter spotted it: the perfect target. He looked over at Kento, knowing he had only one shot at this.

"I'm sorry, Master," he said, standing up. Then, he jumped.

________________________________________________________________

Ahsoka kept piloting, forcing herself to focus on the speeder's movement and control in order to get a hold of herself. She couldn't believe that she was acting like a typical teenage girl, getting this emotional over a boy.

She knew Carter was doing the right thing for the both of them, and was sacrificing his life on Coruscant for a lonely life in the Outer Rim for her sake. Deep down, she was grateful that he had taken the fall for everything that had happened, knowing full well that she was to be held responsible for at least half of it.

A lurch in the speeder's movement made Ahsoka's calm mentality slip, and she choked on the tears that threatened to fall. Something had just hit the back of her speeder, and her hand was on her lightsaber in an instant. Turning, she prepared to cut down what- or who- ever landed in her craft. However, seeing the dazzling green eyes, her arm dropped with a gasp.

Carter just smiled and hopped into the front seat with her.

"What are you doing?" she managed. "You're supposed to—"

He put a finger to her lips before cupping her cheek in his palm. Then he wordlessly pulled her to him and crushed his lips to hers, pushing her down onto the seat and forcing her to pull the speeder over. Ahsoka simply melted in his arms, lacing her fingers through his soft black hair. Tears sparkled in her sapphire eyes when he pulled back, and he wiped them away with his thumb.

"I can't do it, 'Soka," he whispered, gently pressing his lips to her jaw line between each word. Pressing his forehead to hers and entwining their fingers, he exhaled heavily.

"I know," she said quietly. "I need you here Carter. I… I don't care anymore. The Code is wrong, I'll have to leave the Jedi, but I can't go through life without you by my side."

"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to say that, and you pretty much summed it all up for me," he smiled slightly. "Thanks." They were quiet for a while, she lying in the seat of the speeder, and him hovering over her. "Ahsoka," Carter said softly, breaking the silence.

Her arms tightened around him in response.

"Uh, okay then. I, um… I love you."

She gasped, letting her arms drop in shock. "You…You do?"

He nodded sagely. "With all of me. I'm sure of it."

It hit her like a train, those three words, the ones that she had always been longing to hear, yet dreading for the longest time until now. He was perfect for her, he would always be the one for her, the only one. And she just knew that she felt the same way. She was scared, sure. But she was excited. She was absolutely, crazily, wonderfully in love with Carter.

Her heart, in that instant, filled up, the rips and tears mending at the sound of those words. There was only one thing left to seal them off, and she was prepared for it.

"I love you, too," she whispered, pulling him down, pressing their lips together, threading her fingers through his hair in bliss.

He pulled back in surprise. "You do?"

Ahsoka laughed. "You talk too much, Flyboy."

He smiled and closed the gap between their lips once again, and that feeling of wholeness consumed her. She let the tears fall, clutching him to her, wonderfully and blissfully aware now of his feelings for her.

Her heart no longer hurt. She no longer felt the pain of her conflicting duties falling in on her.

Ahsoka was no longer TORN.

**Fin**

* * *

**A/N: It's overrrrrrr!!! Ah, that was fun. Thanks for reading and big thanks to those of you who stuck around and rode this crazy train of a story, including its LOOOONNGG breaks in between where you were all waiting for me to update.**

**BUT! Carter and Ahsoka are together, but that can't be the end of it, can it? What will they do to hide it from the council? What will their Masters think?**

**...**

**...**

**What about ORDER 66?!**

Sounds like a sequel is brewing in your minds? Maybe in mine, too? Well, we'll see. It depends on if that's what the fans want.

**But again, thanks for reading, it's been a heck of a lot of fun writing this, and I feel much beastlier after finishing it. Hope you liked it, don't forget to review, and always wash behind your ears. :D**

**PEACE OWT!**

**-Bubbles**


	13. What's Next?

Dear Readers,

Hey, homie, buddy, pal, whatever you wanna be called.

Well, I know a lot of you out there want a sequel for this hunk of junk story I wrote. And I'll admit it, I can't just leave them hanging with their easily acquired happy ending. There have to be some complications! you know, council suspicion, time apart, the usual drama that accompanies teenage relationships...

Or maybe the EXTERMINATION OF ALL JEDI? As is ORDER 66?

So yeah, I'm planning a sequel. Don't get your hopes too far up, yet. It's going to take a while to outline, draft, and write. And publish, of course. And what's really important is the fact that I need votes. Yes, votes. As in a poll. So get your butt on over to my profile and check out the poll PLEASE. It's really important. Also, another really important note- just because you_ can_ pick up to five choices doesn't mean you _should_. Only pick what you think fits the story and what you want to see in it most.

Thanks for sticking with me, everyone. You honestly have no idea how much it means to me. You're the reason I write. :)

_Beast it!_

-DarthBubbles


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